The college football landscape is changing with schools set to change conferences left and right. Much of that is because the Big 12 is going to need to find some new members.

At least 1 is officially on the way.

According to Jason Williams of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati has submitted its application to join the Big 12, which is expected to announce the Bearcats as a new member on Friday. Cincinnati had been a member of the AAC since that conference’s formation in 2013.

Before that, the Bearcats previously had been a founding member of Conference USA, which started in 1995.

The Big 12 is losing both Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, which has created a greater need for it to add new member schools. In addition to Cincinnati, it’s been reported that BYU, Houston and UCF are also expected to formally apply to the Big 12 this week.

Cincinnati’s football program has fared well in the AAC in recent years, having won 9 or more games in each of the previous 3 seasons. The Bearcats went 9-0 in the 2020 regular season before losing to Georgia in the Peach Bowl.

If the other 3 reported schools join Cincinnati in applying to the Big 12, it will help the conference maintain a high level of competition despite losing a pair of strong programs. It may not be long before the next domino falls after the Bearcats got things started.