Big 12 Expected to Vote on Expansion on as Early as Thursday

Last week, it was first reported by Max Olson of The Athletic that the Big 12 was ready to vote on expanding the conference, adding BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston. Now, it appears as the conference will vote on the potential four new members as early as Thursday.

On Wednesday, Adam Rittenberg from ESPN reports that the Big 12 will most likely vote on Friday but could vote on Thursday.

The Big 12 is set to add four members — BYU, UCF, Cincy, Houston — likely on Friday (am told vote could be Thursday). Here's our look at what the schools add, the timeline for joining the league, what it means for the Big 12's autonomy status and more. https://t.co/ZgzlALLbnF

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 8, 2021

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby released a statement last week announcing that the eight remaining schools have committed to stay together.

“Following two days of consultation with the athletics directors of the continuing members of the Big 12 Conference, commissioner Bob Bowlsby stated, “The eight ADs remain committed to furthering the Big 12 as one of the nation’s premier athletic conferences, and look forward to working with our presidents and chancellors to strengthen the league. Future exploration by the group will continue to center on options that best position the long-term strength of the Conference.”

During this week, BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston have started the application process of getting into the Big 12. If everything goes as planned and the votes go through, the new members of the Big 12 will be announced by the end of the week. There’s belief within national reporters that there could be one or two years with the new members of the Big 12, Oklahoma and Texas.

Oklahoma and Texas are still expected to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2025.