University sports

Big 12 considers adding UConn

Big 12 presidents are scheduled to discuss a possible invitation for UConn to join the conference next week after university officials personally made an offer to the league that included a hefty investment in the Huskies’ struggling football program, two people familiar with the talks told the Associated Press on Friday.

The people said a plan to admit UConn, which has won the last two national championships in men’s college basketball, would include allowing the school’s football team to remain independent before joining the Big 12 in 2031 and would not require current members to take a cut of their currently expected share of the conference’s revenue.

UConn officials were in Dallas last week to present a plan to the Big 12 for major investments in its athletic programs, the bulk of which would be focused on football, one of the people familiar with the matter said.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, a former Brooklyn Nets executive, has long been interested in gaining a foothold in the New York-area market, where the Big East school has a huge following.

Spokespeople for UConn, the Big 12 and the Big East all declined a request for comment.

Big 12 members were skeptical about the idea of ​​adding the Huskies to their already strong basketball conference because UConn’s football program has struggled for years and they feared the school would not add value to the league’s media rights deal.

However, a cost-neutral addition of the school could be attractive.

The Big 12’s new six-year contracts with ESPN and Fox take effect next year and will pay members about $31.7 million per school annually.

The people who spoke to AP said a final decision for either side is not imminent and Yormark still needs to find consensus among its members. The Big 12 is entering its first year as a 16-team conference after adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12 last year.

FILE – UConn guard Paige Bueckers brings the ball up the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)