The coaches of the Big 12 have spoken, and there are two teams that they want to join their conference over everyone else.
ESPN anonymously polled the head coaches, asking which two teams they would prefer the most out of the most realistic expanson options. According to the vote, Houston and BYU were the highest vote-getters, each receiving five of a possible 20 votes. Cincinnati and Memphis came next, with both of those teams receiving four votes apiece. Central Florida and Colorado State also received a vote each.
In a decision that was in response to the ACC's new television deal with ESPN, the Big 12 pushed forward the idea of expansion this week to more serious talks. The move came as a shock, as reports just hours earlier were that the conference was going to completely table the idea for the near-future. Instead, the Big 12 hopes to begin serious dialogue with potential members soon, and may even put on a vote as early as September.
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The Big 12 no longer needs 12 members to hold a conference championship game, as the NCAA has since changed that rule. However, in terms of both revenue and play on the field, the Big 12 feels like it has fallen behind the other Power 5 conferences. While they still have Texas and Oklahoma, the conference hopes to add new members in order to help strengthen its case to have an annual College Football Playoff competitor, and in order to negotiate a higher number on a future television contract.
As for the expansion candidates, BYU and Houston do make sense as additions to the Big 12. The big knock against the two is that neither team really does much to expand the conference's media footprint. This is where teams like Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Memphis could come into heavy play.
As for now, though, the conference will play at 10 members for the foreseeable future.
