Big 12 Reportedly 'Done' Expanding

The Big 12 has "no interest" in expanding beyond 16

After expanding to 16 teams last week with the additions of Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State, the Big 12 has "no appetite" to expand further according to Brett McMurphy of the Action Network. The source told McMurphy, "We have no interest in doing anything. We're done."

Big 12 has “no appetite” to add any of Pac-4 schools or San Diego State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. “We have no interest in doing anything,” source said. “We’re done.”

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 7, 2023

McMurphy's report comes on the heels of an earlier report from Jason Scheer that the Big 12 conference had "preliminary talks" with Oregon State and San Diego State. In a later tweet, Scheer also insinuated that the Big 12 had some level of interest in Stanford.

Hearing Oregon State and San Diego State have had very preliminary talks with the Big 12 over the last 48 hours. Key word is preliminary and it would be at discounted rates.

— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) August 7, 2023

If McMurphy is correct, the Big 12 will forego further realignment for now. At least until something shifts within the ACC. The ACC is evaluating the potential additions of Cal and Stanford while trying to keep its current members like Florida State and Clemson content. The challenge for the ACC will be whether adding Cal and Stanford creates enough economic value to outweigh the increased travel costs.

Sources: In the next 24 hours, there’s two calls for the ACC to vet and have early exploratory discussions on the potential addition of Cal and Stanford. One is for ACC athletic directors and the other for the league's presidents and chancellors.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 7, 2023

If Stanford and Cal join the ACC, they won't only be signing up for a lot of travel, they could also be joining a conference just in time for the biggest brands to leave. Florida State and Clemson have actively tried to get out of the Grant of Rights that extends well into the 2030's.

If the ACC breaks up on some future date, the Big 12 will likely re-evaluate its position on expansion to evaluate more additions from the ACC.

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