After the Big Ten’s addition of USC and UCLA, conference realignment became the hot topic of the college football world with rumors and speculation swirling about where the next groundbreaking expansion moves would come from.
The SEC is reportedly no longer interested in expansion and is content to stick with 16 teams after the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, with an SEC athletic director telling Saturday Down South that “the need just isn’t there.”
But outside of the SEC, other conferences certainly are looking to expand, especially the Big 12 and the Pac-12.
At Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said that the conference is “open for business” in terms of expansion talks.
“As I said in my opening comments, we’re exploring all options,” Yormark said, according to Fox News. “And we’re open for business. And optionality is good, and we’re vetting all of them. I think it’s fair to say I’ve received a lot of phone calls, a lot of interest. We’re exploring those levels of interest. Nothing is imminent.”
Meanwhile, the Pac-12 said in a statement that it is also considering expansion.
“The Pac-12 Board of Directors met this morning and authorized the Conference to explore all expansion options,” the conference said on Twitter. “The 10 university presidents and chancellors remain committed to a shared mission of academic and athletic excellence on behalf of our student-athletes.”
So buckle up, because the college football realignment drama isn’t over.
[Fox News]
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