There are a number of teams that could be ideal for expansion for the AAC and we’re going to take a closer look at a few of their cases. With those absences, it’s clear that the ACC will have to do exactly what the Big 12 is doing: expand their ranks. Houston just made the Final Four, UCF football has been fantastic in recent years, and Cincinnati has made waves in both basketball and football in recent years, especially this year on the gridiron. We’ll focus on BYU (and a potential move for Gonzaga) at another time, but losing three different talented programs would be a punch in the gut for the AAC. If these four teams do join the Big 12 sometime in the near future, it leaves quite a hole in their former conferences. When all is said and done, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the conference add additional teams, especially if any of their other members are poached by other power conferences. Currently sitting at just eight members, the Big 12 desperately needed to make a move to secure the future of the conference and this certainly seems to be the move. It has been reported that later this week the Big 12 could be adding to their now reduced membership, poaching Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF from the AAC while also adding BYU, who plays in the WCC in basketball. This recent departure will no doubt lead to more change being in the air and has directly led to the most recent reports from the Big 12.
The first big domino in this cycle of realignment is clearly Oklahoma and Texas departing the Big 12 for the SEC. Though many of the changes are done with football in mind, it’s clear that these changes have a dynamic effect on college basketball. AAC Basketball Houston Cougars (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Ĭonference realignment is alive and well in the world of collegiate sports.
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