The Big 12 conference is mulling over the possibility of expansion, with the University of Connecticut (UConn) the school at the forefront of the discussions according to multiple reports.
Late last week, ESPN reported that the Big 12 was in talks with UConn about having them join the conference in all sports, and then most recently, football insider Pete Thamel (ESPN) reported that the Big 12 Presidents and Athletic Directors met on Monday.
Thamel said the meeting was “informational in nature” and no vote was taken, but noted that it was led by an outside consultant who outlined the value UConn could bring to the conference through media and marketing.
Sources: The Big 12 presidents/ADs met about UConn today. No vote was taken on admitting the Huskies, as expected. The call was informational in nature and discussion focused. It was led by the Big 12’s outside consultant, which walked through UConn’s media and market value.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 26, 2024
Earlier in August, UConn AD David Benedict and Board Chair Daniel Toscano met with the Big 12 ADs in person, with conversations centered around football funding and how UConn could be competitive upon joining the league in 2031.
There has reportedly been pushback from multiple Big 12 members, so any agreement is far from solidified. If an agreement were to be reached, UConn would face a 27-month waiting period to exit the Big East, though it could negotiate its way out of that.
Following the Big 12’s loss of Texas and Oklahoma (which begins this coming season), the conference has seemingly started to rebrand as a basketball superpower. Recent additions that are strong basketball schools include Houston, Arizona and BYU.
UConn has long been a basketball powerhouse, having won back-to-back NCAA (March Madness) titles in 2023 and 2024.
“There has never been a better time than right now to be part of the Big 12,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in July at Big 12 football media days.
The Big 12 adds Arizona, Arizona State and Utah this season from the Pac-12 after bringing in BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston in 2023.
UConn only sponsors women’s swimming & diving after the men’s program was cut in 2020. The Huskies were the runners-up at the 2024 Big East Championships, finishing just 21 points shy of champion Villanova.
