IRVING, Texas-Per news from CBS Sports College Football writer Dennis Dodd, the Big 12 has discussed splitting into two seven-team divisions in football in 2023.
The 2023-24 athletic season is when BYU, Cincinnati and Houston and Central Florida are expected to join the conference.
Big 12 athletic directors were joined by the athletic directors of these schools, including BYU’s Tom Holmoe, in Las Vegas last month in hopes of determining what the Big 12 would look like after Texas and Oklahoma depart for the SEC.
The Big 12 made the preliminary divisions predicated upon the belief that the Longhorns and Sooners will stay with the conference for four more years.
The conference’s current television contracts with ESPN and FOX run through 2025.
Should Texas and Oklahoma leave the conference before that time, they would be subject to nine-figure fines from the Big 12, per reports.
If the BYU and Houston Cougars, the Bearcats and Knights join the conference ahead of 2023 and Texas and Oklahoma stay, the conference would be at 14 teams for 2023 and 2024.
When the Big 12 reverts back to 12 schools, six-team divisions would be created in 2025.
Big 12 Senior Associate Commissioner Ed Stewart confirmed NCAA rules state all conferences with more than 12 teams must split into divisions for football.
Since 2017, the Big 12 has operated as a 10-school conference without divisions.
Stewart said the decision has not yet been made concerning whether to create the divisions by virtue of competitiveness or geography. These would be the conference’s first divisions since 2016.
In basketball, the Big 12 is looking at a format which would keep the present 18-game conference season intact in a 14-team alignment.
Presently, the conference season consists of an 18-game home-and-home round robin.
Sources have revealed the Big 12 would rather keep the Big 12/SEC Challenge alive than increase the conference season because doing well against the fellow power conference may bolster its chances of getting more schools in the NCAA Tournament.
This challenge has been played continually since the 2013-14 season.
Dodd’s information revealed BYU could be placed in the Big 12 North. The Cougars would be joined by Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Big 12 South would consist of Baylor, Houston, Texas Christian, Texas, Texas Tech, UCF and West Virginia.
