Big 12 Football: Could expansion save it from becoming next Big East?

What the Big 12 could look like

If Texas and Oklahoma don’t leave until the 2025 season and the Big 12 expands prior to the beginning of that football season, it could look like this with expansion.

This is what the Big 12 can look like prior to the 2025 season with Oklahoma and Texas still being members of the conference and expanding by adding four additional teams.

Big 12 West

• San Diego State
• BYU
• Texas Tech
• TCU
• Texas
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State

Big 12 East

• UCF
• Cincinnati
• West Virginia
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Baylor

Or the Big 12 could be broken up into North and South divisions.

Big 12 North

• Cincinnati
• West Virginia
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• BYU
• Oklahoma State

Big 12 South

• UCF
• San Diego State
• Texas
• Texas Tech
• Baylor
• TCU
• Oklahoma

Now if Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12 and they want to have 12 schools in their conference this what the divisions in the league may look like.

Big 12 North

• BYU
• Cincinnati
• West Virginia
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State

Big 12 South

• UCF
• San Diego State
• Texas Tech
• Baylor
• TCU
• Oklahoma State

Regardless of what happens with Oklahoma and Texas, the Big 12 should do everything in its power in 2022 to expand and secure a financial stable future for its members.

The Big 12 has survived expansion before when Nebraska went to the Big Ten, Colorado and Utah went to the Pac-12, and Missouri and Texas A&M went to the SEC. However, losing Texas and Oklahoma really hurts the Big 12 financially and the conference is lucky that neither the Pac-12, ACC, or the Big Ten offered membership to their schools to join their conferences.

The Big 12 still has a path forward but starting in 2022, they need to send out invitations to schools that can help them with long-term stability and they need to do their homework now in preparation for that time when conference expansion happens.