The Big 12 just wrapped its annual media days in Las Vegas, but that is not the only reason they have been in the news.
It has been rumored that the Big 12 is also reportedly making bold moves behind the scenes to solidify itself as a “Power 3” conference alongside the Big Ten and SEC. Longtime college football radio host Greg Swaim made the claim this week that the Big 12 is targeting FSU, Clemson, and four other ACC schools.
Swaim explained, “FSU and Clemson will not get a Big Ten offer, due to neither being AAU accredited.” He added, “The talk from Vegas is the SEC has now turned the pair down. With new sponsorship, the Big 12 might not pay as much as the other two, but with those two, they’ll pay double what the ACC does.”
UPDATE: The Big 12 is in “early conversations” with Florida State and Clemson, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
The Big 12 would likely use private equity money to pay FSU and Clemson more than the rest of the Big 12 schools. pic.twitter.com/8dzfGalUnV [1]
— Spark College Football (@SparkCFB) July 10, 2024 [2]
Swaim also mentioned that the Big 12 plans to expand by adding six schools from the ACC, potentially including Miami, Louisville, UNC, and Duke. This theoretical move would significantly enhance the Big 12’s profile and decimate the ACC which is, like the Big 12, desperate to stay relevant.
Many other analysts have suggested if UNC and Duke make a move it will be to the Big Ten, which makes far more sense on a number of levels, but particularly from the academic standpoint.
For the Big 12 though the priority would have to be adding FSU and Clemson, as it would give the conference more firepower with big time brands and recent champions.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark declared Tuesday at media day “I will not stop until we are the number one conference in America,” and certainly such bold moves would be a step in that direction.
Again, this is all hearsay at this point, but if it were true it would help stave off irrelevance for the Big 12 and make it a legit power conference.