Bigger Big 12 on the way

The Big 12 didn’t even wait for Oklahoma and Texas to leave before expanding and the league may not necessarily be done growing after adding BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston.

“This was a very clear and relatively easy decision for the eight continuing members of the Big 12,” Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said Friday after that group unanimously approved applications from the four schools that sought membership after the league learned the Sooners and Longhorns will leave for the SEC.

Within hours of the Big 12 vote, all four formally accepted the invitations.

There had been no indication that Oklahoma and Texas, the only Big 12 teams to win football national championships, were looking to move until the reports emerged a week after Big 12 football media days in midJuly. By August, both had accepted formal invitations to join the SEC.

The Longhorns and Sooners have said they will honor their Big 12 contracts and do not plan to join the SEC until 2025.

BYU said all its sports will begin Big 12 schedules in the 2023-24 athletic season. BYU is an independent in football, but competes in the West Coast Conference for basketball and so-called Olympic sports like track and swimming.

Bowlsby said American Athletic Conference teams UCF, Cincinnati and Houston will join no later than July 1, 2024.

The four schools were among 11 interviewed by the Big 12 in 2016 when it considered expansion before staying at 10 teams. #17 Coastal Carolina 49, Kansas 22: Reese White ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns, Grayson McCall threw for two scores and ran for a third and the host Chanticleers (2-0) beat the Jayhawks (1-1) for a third straight season.

Duke 45, North Carolina A&T 17: Mataeo Durant ran for three first-half touchdowns and quarterback Gunnar Holmberg finished with two scoring runs for the host Blue Devils (1-1).