Big 12 reportedly in discussions with East Coast school over joining conference
Published:
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has been aggressive and open-minded in his quest to expand the Big 12 and boost its brand.
That pursuit will reportedly extend the conference into Storrs, Connecticut. According to a report from The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, the league has held discussions with UConn about bringing the Huskies into the conference. Football would not join the league until 2031, per McMurphy, but basketball and other Olympic sports could join as early as 2026.
According to McMurphy, UConn officials met in Dallas with Big 12 athletic directors last week to showcase the school’s plan to invest in its football program and build toward the 2031 target. Yormark is expected to make a presentation to the league’s various presidents regarding UConn.
The timing of the move would fall right in line with the Big 12’s media rights contract coming up for renegotiation. The current deal with FOX and ESPN expires after the 2030-31 school year.
UConn’s football program is currently an independent. The school transitioned to the FBS level in 2000 and joined the Big East in 2004. From 2013-19, UConn competed in the American. In 2020, the Huskies left the AAC. Basketball and other sports compete in the Big East.
According to McMurphy, UConn would need to provide the Big East a 27-month notice to leave and a $15 million exit fee.
From a football standpoint, the Huskies have been a dormant program. Head coach Jim Mora went 6-7 in his first year but just 3-9 last season. Bet365 has the win total this season set at just 4.5. The Huskies haven’t had a winning season since 2010 and they’ve only won 3 bowl games in program history.
But access to the Northeast media market opens another door for Yormark, who has pushed hard to get the Big 12 across as many time zones as possible.
And the basketball product speaks for itself.
Dan Hurley turned down the Los Angeles Lakers to remain with UConn, where he has won back-to-back national championships. He signed a 6-year contract extension earlier this year and has the Huskies well-positioned to challenge for a 3-peat in 2024-25. Early odds from bet365 make UConn the outright favorite to win the title at +900. According to McMurphy, Hurley is not opposed to the potential move.
Geno Auriemma has coached the women’s program since the 1985-86 season and has won 11 national championships since 1995. He also has 23 Final Four appearances, 30 regular-season conference championships, and more than 1,200 career victories.
Since 2010, the UConn programs have won 9 combined national championships in college basketball. The Big 12 was already the best basketball conference in the country, and that pedigree was strengthened with the recent addition of Arizona. Adding UConn would be another feather in the cap.
Yormark has left no stone unturned as he has tried to bridge the gap with the SEC and the Big Ten. The conference has reportedly had discussions about private equity investment into the conference and explored the sale of the conference’s naming rights to a title sponsor as ways to flood the league’s coffers.
If UConn joins and pushes the Big 12’s membership to 17 teams, the next logical question would be who comes next. Florida State is on Line 2.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
