College football realignment: Big 12, UConn pause expansion talks

Amid newfound college football and basketball realignment interest between the Big 12 and UConn, the two sides have pressed pause on their expansion talks

After it emerged the Big 12 and UConn were discussing a possible realignment move, the sides are putting things on hold. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

UConn and the Big 12 have paused discussions over potential conference expansion after engaging in talks over the last several weeks, and both sides have decided to walk away from the bargaining table for the time being.

"As commissioner, it is my responsibility to explore a variety of value-creating opportunities on behalf of the Big 12," commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement.

"Following detailed discussions with my conference colleagues alongside UConn leadership, we have jointly decided to pause our conversations at this time. We will instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics."

While football has usually driven most of the recent wave of conference realignment across the country, the UConn basketball property has aroused interest from the Big 12 recently.

News of a mutual interest between the Big 12 and UConn first emerged last May when a report revealed the school and conference were entertaining a possible expansion move.

Then in August, the two sides picked up talks again on the subject, with insiders reporting that the school and league were prepared to engage in an "in-depth discussion" on the topic.

Any new members would require 12 of the league's 16 members to vote in favor, although it is unknown how much support UConn currently has among that group.

Most reporting tends to indicate that a plurality of opinion among Big 12 presidents and athletic directors is not convinced that UConn would add enough value to the conference.

The timing of this reported interest is noteworthy as it comes following UConn winning its second-straight college basketball national championship this past season and returning to prominence on the hard court under head coach Dan Hurley.

The school's women's basketball team is one of the nation's most successful, winning six NCAA championships since 2008 under head coach Geno Auriemma.

The question around UConn remains as to how its football program would be relevant or successful enough to warrant Big 12 membership. 

It's been one of the nation's worst over the last several years, not finishing with a winning record since 2010, and winning six games in a season only once in the last decade before the arrival of Jim Mora, Jr. as head coach.

UConn went 6-7 in football two years ago under Mora, playing in a bowl game for the first time since the 2015 season, but the Huskies slipped a year ago, falling to 3-9 on the gridiron.

UConn opened the 2024 football season with a 50-7 loss to Big Ten opponent Maryland.

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