Here’s how Big 12 divisions could look after BYU, Cincy, Houston, UCF join conference
For most of the past decade, Big 12 leaders have gone out of their to brag about the way their conference crowns a champion.
That’s how phrases like “every game matters” and “no divisions” became slogans for the league.
But the Big 12 is going to have to ditch those rallying cries and its popular round-robin scheduling format after the conference expands to 12 (and possibly 14) schools when BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the fold.
Perhaps every team can continue playing a full conference schedule in some sports, but it won’t be possible in football.
At some point, the Big 12 will need to split into divisions or pods like it did at its inception. What will the new setup look like? Those conversations are underway.
“We aren’t very far along with that, because we are working with too many variables right now,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Wednesday at T-Mobile Center. “We are looking at some options, but we don’t know when some of the new members are coming in. Until we determine that, it’s going to be difficult to go very deep.”
The dust may have settled from the initial conference realignment storm that occurred over the summer. But a few things remain unclear.
When will Oklahoma and Texas leave the Big 12 for the SEC? Both schools plan to switch conferences no later than July 1, 2025. But many believe they will find a way to move earlier.
BYU is expected to join the Big 12 in time for the 2023-24 athletic season. There is hope that Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will join at the same time, but those schools haven’t announced separation plans from the AAC. They might not be full Big 12 members until 2024.
For now, Bowlsby says the Big 12 is planning on having at least one season with 14 teams.
“It may vary from sport to sport, but we are going to end up playing with 14 teams for a while and you pretty much have to play divisions with that many teams,” Bowlsby said. “It will depend on the circumstances moving forward as to what structure we use. It will likely be different in different sports.”
Big 12 basketball teams originally played 16 conference games each season and then expanded to 18 when Colorado and Nebraska left the league. Coaches don’t seem thrilled at the idea of potentially expanding to a 22-game conference schedule and continuing a double round-robin in future years, but at least one thinks it could work.
“If you have 12 teams do you play everyone twice?” K-State basketball coach Bruce Weber said. “It will be interesting to see what happens. We always talk about getting interest in basketball in December. If you play some league games in December that could help. It’s a possibility.”
The Big Ten currently plays 20 conference games. What’s the harm in adding two more?
Still, it’s hard to say how popular that idea will be across the conference given that coaches won’t have many opportunity to schedule easy wins with four fewer nonconference games on the schedule.
One thing is for sure: A new system will be needed for football, as there is no appetite to expand to 11 conference games.
For now, all options are on the table.
“We’re looking at all those things,” Bowlsby said, “but we haven’t decided anything yet.”
Here’s a look at a few division and pod options that could work for the Big 12 in future years:
North/South Divisions
This will feel familiar for older Big 12 fans. The conference used to have be split with its six teams north of Oklahoma and its six teams south of Kansas.
It would make a lot of sense to revert back to that setup and retain yearly rivalries like Baylor/TCU, Texas Tech/Oklahoma State, the Sunflower Showdown and Farmageddon.
BYU and Central Florida would feel as if they are on a bit of an island, similar to what West Virginia has experienced since joining the conference. But that is unavoidable, as they both lack an obvious travel partner. Oklahoma State could also object to this setup if it prefers to stay with its former Big Eight rivals instead of associating with Texas schools.
North Division: BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, K-State, West Virginia.
South Division: Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF.
East/West Divisions
A simple change could make this division setup more appealing for the Big 12, because the conference is going to have a much larger footprint than when it was originally formed.
It makes sense to pair Central Florida, Cincinnati and West Virginia together, while also keeping the Texas schools in the same division. BYU will have to travel long distances for games, regardless of which division it ends up in. So sending the Cougars to a West Division and putting UCF in an East Division could be the solution.
East Division: Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, K-State, UCF, West Virginia.
West Division: Baylor, BYU, Houston, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech.
New/Old Divisions
Six charter members remain in the Big 12.
Why not send them to the same division and place the six newest school in their own division? That would ensure the conference’s oldest rivalries will continue. It would also split up the Texas schools so every team would be in the same division as a school from the Lone Star State.
Baylor, Houston and TCU might object if it means losing games against their old Southwest Conference rivals, but perhaps there is a way they could play annual games against a designated cross-division rival to keep them on the schedule.
Old Division: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, K-State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
New Division: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, UCF, West Virginia.
Rotating Divisions
When the Big 12 decided to bring back its conference championship game for football, there was briefly talk about splitting into a pair of five-team divisions. One radical idea called for teams to rotate between both divisions every few years based on results or preseason expectations in order to maintain competitive balance.
There’s a reason Big 12 leaders decided against it, but it is a fun idea.
Even Division: Teams picked to finish 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.
Odd Division: Teams picked to finish 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11.
Supersize Divisions
What happens if the Big 12 has 14 teams for a year or two?
Oklahoma and Texas are going to want to stay together, so the other 12 teams would need to be slotted around them in a way that creates the most competitive balance. That could mean just about anything, but here’s guessing they try to recreate the old SWC in one division.
Division A: Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas.
Division B: BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, K-State, UCF, West Virginia.
Pod system
It’s also possible the Big 12 could decide to ditch the traditional divisional setup and split into four pods, as has been discussed for the SEC.
A pod system would allow each football team to keep a pair of traditional rivals and then rotate between two teams from the other three pods each season to form an eight-game conference schedule. The drawback with this system: Selecting two teams for a championship game could get messy.
The teams with the best two records? The pod champions with the two best records?
Or do you try a semifinal round of games between all four pod champions, followed by a title game?
East: Cincinnati, UCF, West Virginia.
North: Kansas, K-State, Iowa State.
South: Baylor, Houston, TCU.
West: BYU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Here’s how Big 12 divisions could look after BYU, Cincy, Houston, UCF join conference."