Big 12 expansion list raises concerns

Movement among schools vying for Big 12 expansion spots continues, but as the list of interested schools grows, concerns are being raised.

Back on July 21, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that Big 12 expansion was a “non-starter” without the consideration of the Houston Cougars. The school has several political allies throughout the state, including Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and many big-dollar boosters who would spare no expense to ensure Houston gets the first bid.

While Houston entering the Big 12 seems like a no-brainer — especially with Texas A&M’s departure to the Southeastern Conference — many pundits in the league (and throughout the country) unilaterally agreed that Houston did nothing for the conference itself.

When a league decides to expand (or at least give its options due diligence), one of the primary factors taken into consideration is how that particular team will open recruiting, thus contributing to the overall competitiveness.

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With Katy High School, Manvel, Lamar, and various notable powerhouse high school programs throughout the Houston area, Big 12 schools already have the “seek, scout, and dominate” approach to luring top talent from the American Conference’s rising star.

Houston’s population is swelling to almost three million residents, and with multiple allies posturing for entry, the Cougars certainly present itself as a top candidate. However, the list of potential candidates now tops at 18 total.

With Air Force, Arkansas State, Boise State, Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Northern Illinois, New Mexico, San Diego State, Southern Methodist, Temple, Tulane, Central Florida, and South Florida, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby certainly has the deck stacked in terms of petition reviews, interviews, and various other factors to consider.

There have been jokes abound that the Big 12 could be the first to initiate the once feared “superconferences,” but let’s just entertain that for a minute. With 28 teams, there would have to be 14 teams in each division. Considering bye weeks and the length of the season, that would require an expansion in the season calendar. Speaking strictly from a logistical perspective, I already have a migraine picturing fall camp through the playoffs, so let’s just put that theory to rest, once and for all.

As ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported, Bowlsby will conduct video conferences with 17 schools that have petitioned the Big 12 conference as expansion candidates. But sources believe the conference will expand to a maximum of 12 teams, with two six team divisions.

According to the report, a decision on the expansion should be announced on by October at the Big 12 conference’s annual board of directors meeting.

Here are the possible scenarios in the expansion picture:

• The conference expands by more than 12 teams,
• It stays at 10 teams,
• It sees bids worthy of a 14-team expansion.

Exactly which teams will be joining, when it will happen, and why those teams were selected, are conversations we’ll hopefully have in a couple of months. But until then, the questions and concerns only seem to be mounting.

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Hopefully we’ll have some clarity soon. But at least we can all breathe a sigh of relief that with fall camps underway, live games aren’t far behind.