Vote on adding UConn to the Big 12 Conference 'is not imminent’

League presidents were briefed about possibly adding the Huskies but no action was taken, according to reports

Big 12 Conference commissioner Brett Yormark speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 presidents were presented a plan to add UConn to the league in all sports, including football as soon as 2031, though no vote of action was held during Monday’s meeting, according to CBS Sports.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and entertainment agency Endeavor shared the details of UConn’s plan, which included adding all Olympic sports by 2026. Huskies football, which has struggled as one of the last remaining independent FBS programs, would have to hit a set of financial benchmarks before it could join the Big 12 once the league’s media rights deal expires in 2031.

According to CBS Sports, six Big 12 schools would be in favor of adding UConn if a vote were taken today, while two schools would be against the idea. It would require at least 12 of the league’s 16 members to approve such a move, though a formal vote “is not imminent,” per CBS Sports.

The Big 12’s media partners seem split on the issue. Fox, which just signed a deal with the Big East two months ago, is against the idea while ESPN, the cable giant that doesn’t have UConn basketball among its rights, is reportedly in favor of the Huskies moving to the power conference. If that were the case, both providers would likely have to work together to amend their current $2.3 billion contract with the Big 12 that runs through 2031.

Indeed, another departure from the Big East would be tricky for the Huskies from a financial standpoint. CBS Sports reported that the conference requires its schools to give 27 months notice and pay a $15 million exit fee for leaving.

On the other side, Big 12 leaders are still uncertain about the ramifications of the House v. NCAA settlement, in which FBS schools will have the option to share up to $23 million per year in revenue with their student-athletes. The NCAA will also be making distribution cuts of its own as the governing body prepares to deal out about $2.8 billion in backpay to thousands of current and former players.

Yormark has been aggressive in setting up the Big 12 for financial stability amid uncertainties across the college landscape. The conference has added eight schools in the past two years and has explored creative ways to generate revenue, such as selling the league’s naming rights to sponsors and consideration of public equity money. When considering all its assets, the Big 12 believes its media value could double by the time it has to negotiate its next TV contract.

Currently, Big 12 schools are set to receive $31.7 million per year on average from the deal with Fox and ESPN. UConn would likely get less than that share if it joined without football in 2026.

Big 12 presidents haven’t discussed the possibility of adding Gonzaga amid the latest expansion talks. Yormark sought to add the Bulldogs around this time a year ago, though some of the league’s members were apprehensive to sharing revenue with a non-football school.

Gonzaga and the Big East have shared discussions in the past, though nothing of note since last December when the league’s commissioner, Val Ackerman, was in attendance for the Gonzaga-UConn game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Ackerman had previously said that there's "no better fit for Gonzaga than the Big East” during Big East Media Day in October.

It doesn’t appear a move is in the cards for the Zags at the moment, especially after the West Coast Conference added Oregon State and Washington State as affiliate members for the next two academic years. The league will also welcome Grand Canyon and Seattle U as full-time members starting in 2025-26.