Report: Big 12 Could Target Memphis as Possible New Member

Just a few days after reports suggest the Big 12 is considering inviting basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join the conference, another school has emerged as an option.

Memphis could be a target of the Big 12, according to multiple reports and initially brought up by the Daily Memphian. This is not the first time Memphis has been connected to the Big 12. The Tigers were also mentioned as a possible program for the conference to add prior to inviting BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.

The constantly changing climate surrounding college athletics and the never ending discussion about conference realignment now has many wondering what the Big 12’s next move will be. The conference managed to maintain its Power 5 status by adding four new members to help counteract the departures of its two marque programs in Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, but commissioner Brett Yormark has also made it clear he’s not going to just sit back and relax when it comes to stabilizing the future of the conference.

The Big 12 reportedly is doing its due diligence on possibly adding Memphis.

The conference is also targeting multiple other programs, including several from the PAC-12.

Welcome to the chaos of realignment!https://t.co/YCIGIy0rcr

— OutKick (@Outkick) June 1, 2023

The argument for Memphis centers around gaining a footprint in the South, something the conference does not really have besides UCF. Memphis, unlike Gonzaga, would also bring a football program, even if not a major brand or overly successful one, which is important.

It’s widely believed Memphis is interested in taking their athletic department to the next level and moving to a bigger conference.

As far as football schools, Memphis can now be placed in the recent Big 12 rumor mill with Colorado and several other Pac 12 programs.

Report: Colorado Ready to Commit Back to Big 12 ‘Soon’

It’s impossible to know what’s actually going to happen, but when it comes to conference realignment, where there’s some smoke, there could very likely be some fire.