Is the Big 12 Stronger Than Ever?

Brett Yormark has put the league in a terrific spot through the latest round of realignment.

Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

When Oklahoma and Texas announced that they would be leaving for the SEC, everyone believed the Big 12 was on the brink of collapsing.

Former Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby quickly reacted by adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the league to give some sort of stability. Last summer, second-year commissioner Brett Yormark took the Big 12 to a whole new level adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah out of the PAC 12.

"We are truly a national conference, in ten states, four time zones," Yormark stated at Big 12 media days last week. "And all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons, and I think it's safe to say we're more relevant now than ever before."

This league is deeper than it's ever been and that's apparent in the two major sports - football and men's basketball.

There's anywhere from seven to ten teams who could win the conference in football this fall and that's not because it's a watered down league. You don't have any bottom feeders or gimmies like you do in the Big Ten or SEC. Any team near the bottom of the standings can beat any team near the top on any given weekend. The other two conferences lean on their blue bloods to carry the weight.

The Big 12 has been the best men's basketball conference in the country for several years running and within the last two years, it's become even stronger. Arizona and Houston are two of the best programs in the country and the other newcomers play competitive basketball year in and year out.

Because of the overall strength of the league, it has positioned them to be a realistic landing spot for say, Clemson and Florida State, who have been rumored to looking for an exit out of the ACC.

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