Big 12's Path to 14 Teams

The Big 12 conference is looking to expand its membership to 14 teams following the departure of Texas and Oklahoma ahead of the 2024 season. While there is a possibility of expanding to 16 teams, the preference, for now, is to add just one more school to reach 14 members.

The favored candidate for the 14th spot is Arizona, with Arizona State, Utah, and UConn also considered as top expansion candidates.

As for other schools such as Gonzaga, Memphis, San Diego State, and UNLV, they are not considered serious candidates for the Big 12.

The key date to keep an eye on is July 1, 2024, when the current Pac-12 media rights deal with ESPN and Fox is set to expire. This expiration has created uncertainty around the Pac-12, and it was a significant factor in Colorado's decision to join the Big 12.

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff is pressured to secure a substantial and lucrative media rights deal as soon as possible to address the concerns of schools like Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and others in the conference waiting to see the outcome before deciding their futures in the league.

Additionally, any additional members that the Big 12 intends to add from other Power Five conferences would need to join before the 2024 football season to fully access the new rights deal beginning in 2025 and expiring in 2031.

There seems to be ongoing consideration within the Big 12 about whether they need to have an even number of teams before the 2024 football season. While 13 teams are not seen as ideal, it's not entirely ruled out, and the league is carefully evaluating its options.

It's worth noting that Colorado was able to secure a full share of Big 12 media rights revenue ($31.7 million) starting in 2025, and any other Power Five addition to the Big 12 is expected to receive equal value, resulting in an additional $190 million payout per team over the six years.

Finally, the existing Big 12 members contributed to funding the revenue required to add BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the league, with each of those four schools set to receive specific amounts in the coming years.