Big 12 Done Expanding For Now, But ACC’s Future Still Unclear

Following the SEC’s lead, the Big 12 plans to begin the 2024 football season with 16 schools — and no further expansion in the near future.

“Right now, we’re done,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said, noting that getting to 16 teams itself was a “dream scenario.”

The Big Ten will be the largest conference in 2024 with 18 universities. The ACC could join the Big 12 and SEC at 16 teams by adding California and Stanford, but there’s reportedly not enough support among current schools to approve the additions.

During expansion discussions, Yorkmark also said that he had conversations with UConn and Gonzaga, but those “didn’t work out” since the Big 12 was able to add Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah to bolster the conference when Texas and Oklahoma depart next summer.

Atlantic Coast Winds

Tuesday’s deadline for ACC schools to inform the conference of intentions of leaving in 2024 passed with no moves, but Florida State could very likely still announce a plan to exit in 2025, according to Sports Illustrated.

Giving several years’ notice has been the standard for other major schools, unlike the chaotic exodus from the Pac-12. 

In 2021, Texas and Oklahoma announced plans to join the SEC in 2025 and ultimately settled on leaving early to join in 2024. In 2022, USC and UCLA informed the Pac-12 they would be leaving to join the Big Ten in 2024.