College football expansion: Big 12 in talks with new team for realignment

There's a new school on the Big 12's radar as college football expansion appears to be on the horizon again in the near future

Amid the college football expansion and conference realignment talk this offseason, the Big 12 has taken center stage with what appear to be ambitious expansion plans, and now another school has moved into the league's zone of interest as Gonzaga has emerged as a new candidate for membership, according to SI.

Negotiations with Gonzaga about potential membership in the Big 12 are expected to be one of the biggest subjects of conversation for the conference as it meets for the annual spring meetings, as the Big 12 is engaged in "deep discussions" with the school, which wants to make a move out of the West Coast Conference into the Power Five.

Gonzaga and the Big 12 have been in conversation about a potential partnership for the past several months, according to insiders with knowledge of the situation.

That news comes on the heels of another well-attributed rumor connecting Colorado to the Big 12 as that school is looking at all its options amid the reported difficulty the Pac-12 is having while it looks for a new media contract its members will accept.

Related: Colorado, Big 12 in talks for possible expansion move | Colorado reacts to Big 12 rumors

And it also comes amid speculation that the Big 12 has been making some overtures towards UConn, another perennial basketball power which is coming off winning the men's basketball championship. 

If the league is able to secure the membership of UConn and Gonzaga, it would control elite basketball programs on each coast with large followings and talented teams, enhancing its own already-impressive collection of basketball properties.

More: Analyst says leagues could drop teams amid college football realignment

Reports suggest that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wants to expand the conference to 16 members in an effort to stay competitive in a market currently dominated by the so-called "Big Two": the SEC and the Big Ten, both of which have made bombshell realignment moves, the SEC adding Texas and Oklahoma, and the Big Ten bringing on USC and UCLA, with those moves coming in 2024.

In total, the Big 12 believes it has several options in that project: Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego State, UConn, and Gonzaga have all been floated by insiders as potential candidates for the Big 12, which already added four new members in time for the 2023 college football season: BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF.

(SI)

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