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10 teams the Big 12 should consider pursuing as it navigates conference realignment

By Ethan Lee

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 03: DeJon Jarreau #3 of the Houston Cougars dribbles against Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears in the first half during the 2021 NCAA Final Four semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 03: DeJon Jarreau #3 of the Houston Cougars dribbles against Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears in the first half during the 2021 NCAA Final Four semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 22: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the Central Florida Knights in action against the Brigham Young Cougars at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 22: Dillon Gabriel #11 of the Central Florida Knights in action against the Brigham Young Cougars at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

UCF has been searching for respect for a few years now. Could the Big 12 give that to the Knights?

When dealing with conference realignment, it’s generally a wise thing to pursue really large universities in large media markets, right? The University of Central Florida is located right in Orlando and has over 71,000 students enrolled.

Even if all of those folks aren’t college football fans, that’s a lot of people who are, to some degree, invested in their university. And that’s not even counting any alumni or just general fans of the university who may not have attended. UCF is growing and it’s growing fast. That’s worth keeping in mind as the Big 12 looks to survive.

Why this could work for the Big 12

Orlando, Florida is a really valuable TV market. It’s a growing city with a ton of people in it. Currently, the Big 12 doesn’t have any members in the area and landing that market on the Big 12’s map would be huge for long term stability.

Plus, there’s the whole thing that UCF claimed a national championship back in 2017 when its football team went undefeated. Getting a national title winner is always a plus when expanding your conference.

Why this wouldn’t make sense for the Big 12

There aren’t a ton of reasons out there. The geography is great for the conference and the football program is really solid.

Landing UCF would be huge for the Big 12 in many ways. But, when looking solely at UCF’s football program, it is worth questioning about whether or not Malzahn is the best fit for the Knights and whether or not he’ll succeed in the long run.

It’s fair to say that he probably will, he was really good at Auburn and Arkansas State, but that’s not a given.

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