The realignment of the conference is alive and well in the world of college sport. While many changes are made with football in mind, it is clear that these changes are having a dynamic effect on college basketball. The first big domino in this realignment cycle is clearly Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. This recent departure will undoubtedly bring more changes in the air and has directly led to the more recent reports of the Big 12.
It was reported that later this week the Big 12 could increase their now-shrunken roster, poaching Cincinnati, Houston and UCF from the AAC while adding BYU, which plays in the WCC in basketball. Currently sitting at just eight members, the Big 12 were in desperate need of a step forward to secure the future of the conference and that certainly seems to be the move. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the conference add additional teams, especially if one of their other members is debauched by other powerful conferences.
If these four teams join the Big 12 in the near future, it leaves a hole in their old conferences. We’ll focus on BYU (and a potential move for Gonzaga) at another time, but losing three different talented programs would be a big blow to the AAC. Houston just qualified for the Final Four, UCF football has been fantastic in recent years and Cincinnati has made waves in basketball and football in recent years, especially this year on the grill.
With these absences, it is clear that the ACC will have to do exactly what the Big 12 does: expand its ranks. There are a number of teams that might be ideal for AAC expansion and we’ll take a closer look at a few of their cases. One thing to keep in mind is that the AAC is a football conference, even though it is a Group of 5 conference. We will not consider schools, like the A-10. , who do not have football programs at the FBS level.
Without further ado, let’s get into some of these schools knowing full well that the AAC will likely look to these to replenish its ranks.
The realignment of the conference is alive and well in the world of college sport. While many changes are made with football in mind, it is clear that these changes are having a dynamic effect on college basketball. The first big domino in this realignment cycle is clearly Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. This recent departure will undoubtedly bring more changes in the air and has directly led to the more recent reports of the Big 12.
It was reported that later this week the Big 12 could increase their now-shrunken roster, poaching Cincinnati, Houston and UCF from the AAC while adding BYU, which plays in the WCC in basketball. Currently sitting at just eight members, the Big 12 were in desperate need of a step forward to secure the future of the conference and that certainly seems to be the move. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the conference add additional teams, especially if one of their other members is debauched by other powerful conferences.
If these four teams join the Big 12 in the near future, it leaves a hole in their old conferences. We’ll focus on BYU (and a potential move for Gonzaga) at another time, but losing three different talented programs would be a big blow to the AAC. Houston just qualified for the Final Four, UCF football has been fantastic in recent years and Cincinnati has made waves in basketball and football in recent years, especially this year on the grill.
With these absences, it is clear that the ACC will have to do exactly what the Big 12 does: expand its ranks. There are a number of teams that might be ideal for AAC expansion and we’ll take a closer look at a few of their cases. One thing to keep in mind is that the AAC is a football conference, even though it is a Group of 5 conference. We will not consider schools, like the A-10. , who do not have football programs at the FBS level.
Without further ado, let’s get into some of these schools knowing full well that the AAC will likely look to these to replenish its ranks.