68°
The Big 12 Conference is weighing whether or not to add the University of Houston to its shortlist of schools.
Houston attempted to join the Big 12 in 2016 after its monumental upset of the Sooners, but the Cougars request was denied.
Should Houston succeed on this attempt, it will be expected to pay the American Athletic Conference a $10 million exit fee. Houston could earn more than $40 million in TV rights revenue as a member of the Big 12, approximately six times more than what it presently rakes in with the AAC, ABC13 reported.
ABC13 reports that a school in the American Athletic Conference, for example, earned almost $7 million on average from TV rights revenue.
Houston could help fill the void Texas and Oklahoma are about to create with their imminent departures to the SEC, joining former Southwest Conference foes Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech, told by Houston Chronicle.
Brigham Young, Central Florida and Cincinnati are other candidates leading the way for the Big 12.
A four-person subcommittee has met to discuss a possible expansion and could be approved with an 8 out of 10 member vote in favor of adding the potential schools to the list.
“Future exploration by the group will continue to center on options that best position the long-term strength of the conference,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby was quoted by the Houston Chronicle as saying.
The University of Houston has not yet made a formal statement on the possible expansion.