Three Schools Negotiating Settlement to Join Big 12 Next Year, per Report

Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are leaving the AAC for greener pastures—but not before paying a hefty exit fee.

Breaking up can be hard—and, for major college football programs, expensive.

Officials at a trio of schools soon to be joining the Big 12—Cincinnati, Houston and UCF—are learning that lesson the pricy way. The programs are reportedly negotiating a settlement with the American Athletic Conference to leave the league early and make their Big 12 membership official on July 1, 2023, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network.

The three schools—along with current independent BYU—are joining the Big 12 following the departure of Texas and Oklahoma for the SEC. The settlement is reportedly in the “$17 million to $20 million range,” per McMurphy.

The AAC’s by-laws require 27 months of notice for schools to leave, with a $10 million exit fee. Under the 27-month limit, the three departing schools would not be able to leave until July 1, 2024. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco had originally wanted a $35 million fee from each school, though appears to have found a middle ground.

At the time of the three schools’ departures, Aresco pledged to maintain a high bar of performance for the AAC, and viewed the conference as one of the “Power 6” in college football.

“The American has been Power 6 all along and will be one moving forward,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said last September. “The Big 12 is taking our teams because of what’s happened to them. That tells you all you need to know in terms of where we are. Teams will be interested in us that have the resources to compete at the highest level in our league with an outstanding TV partner in ESPN.”