Big 12 Athletic Conference adds four new teams – Deadline

The Big 12 Conference officially added four teams on Saturday.

Houston, Cincinnati, BYU and UCF join the conference nearly two years after league leaders voted to expand. The additions soften the blow from Texas and Oklahoma leaving the league for the SEC.

“It’s July 1st. Big day,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “Big day for the Big 12 Conference, for our fans. Welcome UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, BYU. We are so excited to have you at the conference. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can’t wait to get on campus this fall. Welcome, welcome, welcome. It’s great that you made it to the 12.”

The move adds big-time programs to a conference that was rocked when its top two teams left for the SEC.

In 2021, the commissioner of the Big 12 accused ESPN of trying to “destabilize” his league by “encouraging” other NCAA conferences to have a couple of big-name schools leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

The Big 12 prepares to play the upcoming season with 14 teams ahead of Texas and Oklahoma to leave to the SEC in 2024.

Cincinnati, UCF and Houston enter the Big 12 American Athletic Conferencewhen BYU was independent.