Big 12 Announces Pause on Realignment Talks with UConn

News emerged prior to football season's opening week that the league was looking into adding the Huskies as a new member of the conference.

The Big 12 announced a pause on discussions to potentially add UConn as a new conference member. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Big 12 has announced a pause on realignment talks surrounding UConn, commissioner Brett Yormark announced on Thursday.

"As commissioner, it is my responsibility to explore a variety of value-creating opportunities on behalf of the Big 12. Following detailed discussions with my conference colleagues alongside UConn leadership, we have jointly decided to pause our conversations at this time. We will instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics," Yormark said in a statement.

Big 12 announces it and UConn are pausing discussions about adding the Huskies: pic.twitter.com/KA5YthUxG0

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 5, 2024

Last month, news broke that the Big 12 had met with Huskies officials about the possibility of the school being added as a new member. Under the plan that was discussed, UConn's football program would have joined the Big 12 by the 2031 season—with other sports joining the conference sooner.

The Huskies' success in men's and women's basketball was the primary aspect of the Big 12's pursuit of the school, in addition to expansion into the nearby New York media market.

UConn's football program kicked off the season with a 50-7 loss at the hands of Maryland in Week 1. The Huskies have their home opener on Saturday against FCS foe Merrimack as they look for their first win of the season.

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