Big 12 moving quickly to add 4 new members

The Big 12 is shifting quickly on a ramification plan that would have the conference at 12 faculties after Texas and Oklahoma depart, with BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston because the "most fascinating" applicants.

Three people acquainted with the Big 12′s talks stated Friday the eight colleges being left at the back of by way of the Longhorns and Sooners are operating to rebuild by including 4 new individuals.

Two of the humans said there have been regularly scheduled conferences deliberate for Big 12 university presidents and athletic administrators in the coming days to speak about next steps, and every other meeting of presidents turned into expected to take region overdue subsequent week.

One individual stated invitations to new participants could go out as quickly as subsequent week.

The humans spoke to The Associated Press on circumstance of anonymity because the Big 12 turned into no longer making its internal discussions public.

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Sports Illustrated first pronounced on Friday, mentioning unidentified sources, that BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF had been predicted to use for membership to the Big 12 early subsequent week. The Athletic changed into first to file earlier this week the Big 12 became targeted on those four colleges.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby declined to remark Friday in a textual content message to AP.

The Southeastern Conference invited Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 and be part of that powerhouse league in past due July, a pass that rocked college sports activities and placed the Big 12's future unsure.

The Longhorns and Sooners have stated they will honor their cutting-edge contracts with the Big 12 and do not plan to join the SEC till 2025, while the conference's modern television rights contracts with ESPN and Fox run out.

One of the humans stated Big 12 leaders trust it would advantage the convention to transport quick on a long-term plan to expose stability and now not allow hypothesis about the league's uncertain destiny to linger during the soccer season.

After the Pac-12 introduced it turned into not planning to amplify remaining week, it quickly became obvious to the final eight Big 12 colleges — Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia —- that that they had no other Power Five conference options. Their satisfactory circulate became to paste together and upload new individuals, one of the people stated.

The first question was how huge must the Big 12 be?

"I suppose 12 is the magic number," one of the humans said.

How soon new contributors should join is to be decided.

BYU is an impartial that already has a tv settlement with ESPN, one of the Big 12's present day broadcast rights holders, and will probable be a part of as soon as next football season.

Cincinnati, UCF and Houston are inside the American Athletic Conference. AAC bylaws require 27 months' be aware if participants plan to leave the conference.

One person stated the Big 12 has been focused on colleges with significant fanbases, positioned in growing markets, and with a records of football success under multiple coaches.

Conceivably, new participants ought to join the Big 12 before Texas and Oklahoma leave. If Texas and Oklahoma desired to leave the Big 12 earlier than 2025, it could price the schools tens of thousands and thousands of dollars to buy out the supply of media rights agreements participants have with the conference.

But folks that spoke to AP said the Big 12 did no longer need to finalize a divorce with the Sooners and Longhorns to put in force a rebuild plan.

"There are two separate tracks," one man or woman said. "You're going to increase regardless."

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