UConn's fan base stretches from Boston to New York, which would be a new region for the Big 12 to break into.
The University of Connecticut appears to be on the short list of schools being considered to join the Big 12 Athletic Conference. Since the Big 12 voted earlier this summer to explore an expansion, 20 schools have emerged as possible candidates, including Brigham Young University, the University of Cincinnati, Boise State, and UConn.
While several schools have been aggressively lobbying the Big 12, UConn has taken a decisively low key approach. "The indication that UConn officials have received from the Big 12 people is that they actually like that UConn is not publicly lobbying," said Paul Doyle, sports writer for the Hartford Courant.
So, why is UConn so keen on switching conferences? In a word, money.
The Big 12, considered one of the five powerhouse conferences along with the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and PAC Ten, has lucrative TV and media deals in place, and the schools in those conferences share that revenue. Smaller conferences, like the American Athletic Conference, UConn's current conference affiliation simply can't compete.
Another word is football. With perennial powerhouses like Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas, the Big 12 is a football-centric conference. Two years ago, the Big 12 was not invited to the college football playoffs because they did not play a conference championship game. Adding two teams would allow the conference to split into two divisions, making it easier for them to stage a conference title game.
According to Doyle, despite the perceived weakness of its football program, UConn's case for joining the Big 12 is pretty strong. "They are a strong national brand in basketball, they have that to enhance their resume. They have a strong fan base that stretches from Boston to New York, and that would be a new region for the Big 12 to break into," said Doyle. "Academically, UConn is far and away considered a better school than many of the schools they would be competing against, and these decisions are made by presidents who do look at that."
The expansion process is shrouded in secrecy, so no one is 100 percent sure of UConn's chances against the 20 or so other schools also being considered. The Big 12 schools could even vote to stand pat with its existing 10 school system. Last week, however, the Big 12 tipped their hand - just a little. Only two schools - the University of Houston and the University of Connecticut were contacted directly by Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby with directions on how to formally apply for membership.
