Earlier this month, when conference leaders across the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC began to discuss the possibility of a partnership — a concept that could ultimately provide some stability by preventing those leagues from poaching each other’s teams while adding a scheduling component — the Big 12 was excluded, another perceived snub to the eight teams working to figure out their futures.
“No one can give anybody a clear answer as to what’s this all about, why did they leave the Big 12 out?” one source said.
“Why wasn’t the Big 12 included? Because we had already been poached,” one source in the conference surmised.
With Big 12 co-founders Oklahoma and Texas ultimately bolting for the SEC by July 1, 2025, and the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 forming an alliance, multiple sources in the Big 12 told ESPN the remaining eight schools aren’t in a rush to make a move but that they are considering eventually adding teams to make the Big 12 relevant enough to negotiate a lucrative television contract — while realizing everyone needs a Plan B.
