Report: UConn, Big 12 in serious talks

Huskies would join the Big 12 in all sports, except football would have to wait until 2031

Feb 24, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the Villanova Wildcats at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Almost a year ago to the day, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said he was no longer in discussions with either UConn or Gonzaga regarding conference expansion.

Fast forward to the present day, Yormark is set to present a plan to the league’s presidents that would include adding the Huskies to the conference in all sports, except football, starting in 2026.

According to a report from Yahoo Sports, the Big 12 and UConn “remain in serious negotiations” and that school officials met with the league’s athletic administrators in Dallas last week. Though no movement is expected any time soon, according to the report, the in-person meeting was a sign of the “serious nature” of the discussions.

The move makes sense from a basketball standpoint. Yormark wants to make the Big 12 the best conference in the country for hoops and the Huskies are at the top of the sport as the back-to-back national champions. 

Huskies football will have to wait, however. Yormark’s plan would require UConn to invest more money into its football program before it can join the league in 2031, at the earliest, when the league’s new TV deal begins. As the last remaining independent football team outside of Notre Dame, UConn receives the smallest portion of revenue from the College Football Playoff. A move to a power conference would be greatly beneficial for football from a financial standpoint, especially now as college athletics prepares for a world where there are revenue-sharing opportunities for student-athletes.

Yormark’s desire to expand the league, negotiate its naming rights to sponsors and explore private equity investments has all been to help secure the league’s financial stability for the future as the NCAA prepares to pay out billions of dollars to thousands of current and former student-athletes for the next 10 years. Small schools and leagues, especially ones without a revenue-generating football program, will likely feel a greater financial burden over that span compared to power conference schools. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more movement in the near future.

Gonzaga and the Big 12 have had on-and-off discussions over the past few years, though it’s been nearly 10 months since Brett Yormark visited Spokane and there hasn’t been much movement from either side. It was reported that some league members weren’t on board with the idea of sharing revenue with a non-football school. As a counter, Yormark sought to create two separate TV deals for football and men’s basketball once the league’s current contract expires in 2031.

That said, UConn won’t receive a full distribution share from the Big 12 without football in the picture. Gonzaga would be in the same position from a revenue standpoint, though the school’s lack of football put it in a difficult position.