UConn conference realignment: Big 12 member schools reportedly discuss Huskies' media and market value
The huskies-football" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">UConn Huskies are in discussions to potentially be one of the teams making a conference realignment move as talks re-emerged amongst the Big 12 schools last week.
Things have been taken to the next step as ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel reported that the Big 12 presidents and athletic directors held a meeting regarding UConn on Monday.
In the report, Thamel mentions that there was not an official vote to add the Huskies but instead was informational and was more of a discussion.
In the conversation, they discussed UConn's media and market value, among other things so the schools could make an informed decision on whether they would want to expand the Big 12 Conference.
This is some big news, as there is more movement toward a potential conference realignment. It is important to note that just because there are discussions does not mean the UConn Huskies are going to join the Big 12 in the future.
Conference realignment: UConn to Big 12 move faces some roadblocks
The UConn Huskies joining the Big 12 Conference would be exciting, but there are some hurdles along the way as well.
The college basketball and Olympic sports programs would be able to join for the 2026 season but the college football program for UConn, which is an independent program, would not be part of the deal until the 2031 season.
There are some other discussions that Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has had, as he talked with the Gonzaga Bulldogs last year about potentially joining the conference realignment. That would make sense, as this would continue to expand the Big 12 into different areas of the continental United States.
Then, of course, we have the ACC schools, as the Clemson Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles realistically only have the Big 12 as potential landing spots as neither school is AAU-accredited. The Big 12 has options if they want to expand and continue their conference realignment plans.