Texas and SMU officially switched conferences on Monday, and eight more Power Five schools with swim programs are set to follow in their footsteps next month.
Texas jumped from the Big 12 to the SEC (along with Oklahoma, which doesn’t sponsor swimming) while SMU went from the AAC to the ACC. The Longhorns, who helped co-found the Big 12 back in 1996, celebrated their move with thousands of fans at an on-campus party last Sunday featuring “Mr. Worldwide” pop star Pitbull.
“I’ve been excited for a long time — I mean, I’m all in,” Texas women’s swim head coach Carol Capitani said. “It wasn’t that I wasn’t a fan of the Big 12, but competition makes us better. It’s a strong part of my belief. To put ourselves in a position where the competition is better, it’s big-time swimming, it’s big-time athletics, and it will be a welcome change.”
From a swimming perspective, the Longhorns’ move to the SEC is intriguing because they have long been in a league of their own in the Big 12. Now they’ll have some serious competition for conference titles against fellow powerhouse Florida, a matchup that we’ve already tried to map out here. Plus it could reinvigorate Texas’ in-state rivalry with Texas A&M, a new SEC foe.
SMU is forgoing its share of media revenue for the first nine years in the ACC, but donors quickly raised $200 million to help ease the Mustangs’ transition into the conference. Cal and Stanford are also joining the ACC along with SMU, but they don’t officially leave the Pac-12 until August 2 — after ACC Media Days from July 22-25. The move sets up a much anticipated battle for the ACC men’s swim title between newcomer Cal and three-time defending champion NC State.
USC and UCLA are headed to the Big Ten on August 2 along with Oregon and Washington, which don’t sponsor swimming. Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah are on their way to the Big 12 (along with Colorado, which doesn’t sponsor swimming) as of last August. The reigning national champion Sun Devils figure to be favorites for the Big 12 title next season under first-year head coach Herbie Behm, who took over for Bob Bowman in April after he left to replace Eddie Reese at Texas.
More recently in April, Washington State also revealed that its women’s swim team would compete in the Mountain West for the next two seasons. The Cougars have a two-year grace period to find a new permanent home following conference realignment.
The last official day of the Pac-12, August 1, will mark the one-year anniversary of former commissioner George Kliavkoff sharing a streaming deal with Apple worth $23 million per school that was rejected before the conference ultimately collapsed.
Although the Big 12 is losing its best swim program, the conference is still showing promising growth. Two seasons ago, the Big 12 only had three men’s swim teams. After growing to five last season, the Big 12 will boast seven squads next season. The Big 12 added BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston last year (along with UCF, which doesn’t sponsor swimming).
Next season, the ACC will be the most robust NCAA swimming conference with 14 men’s and women’s swim teams. Big Ten will feature 14 women’s swim teams and nine men’s swim teams. The SEC will have 13 women’s swim teams and 11 men’s swim teams. The Big 12 will include 10 women’s teams and seven men’s teams. In terms of media deal money, the Big Ten and SEC distribute significantly more revenue to their member schools ($50+ million) compared to the ACC and Big 12.
