A plan was presented to the presidents of the Big 12 to admit UConn into the league in all sports, including football, as early as 2031. However, according to CBS Sports, no vote on such action was taken during Monday’s meeting.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and entertainment agency Endeavor shared the details of UConn’s plan, which calls for the addition of all Olympic sports by 2026. Huskies football, which has struggled as one of the last remaining independent FBS programs, would have to meet a series of financial benchmarks before it could join the Big 12 once the league’s media rights deal expires in 2031.

According to CBS Sports, six Big 12 schools would be in favor of adding UConn if a vote were held today, while two schools would be against the idea. It would require at least 12 of the league’s 16 members to agree to such a move, although a formal vote is “not imminent,” according to CBS Sports.

The Big 12’s media partners appear to be split on the issue. Fox, which signed a deal with the Big East just two months ago, is against the idea, while ESPN, the cable giant that doesn’t count UConn basketball among its rights, is reportedly in favor of the Huskies moving to the power conference. If that were to happen, both providers would likely have to work together to change their current $2.3 billion contract with the Big 12, which runs through 2031.

In fact, another exit from the Big East would be difficult for the Huskies from a financial perspective. CBS Sports reported that the conference requires its schools to give 27 months’ notice and pay a $15 million exit fee.

On the other hand, Big 12 officials are still unsure of the impact of the House-NCAA settlement, which allows FBS schools to share up to $23 million in revenue per year with their student-athletes. The NCAA will also make its own payout cuts as the governing body prepares to pay out about $2.8 billion in back pay to thousands of current and former players.

Yormark has aggressively positioned the Big 12 for financial stability despite the uncertainties across the college landscape. The conference has added eight schools in the past two years and has explored creative ways to generate revenue, such as selling the league’s naming rights to sponsors and considering public equity. Taking all assets into account, the Big 12 believes its media value could double by the time it negotiates its next television contract.

Currently, Big 12 schools receive an average of $31.7 million per year from their contract with Fox and ESPN. UConn would likely receive less than that share if it joined without football in 2026.

Big 12 presidents have not discussed the possibility of adding Gonzaga in recent expansion talks. Yormark wanted to add the Bulldogs about this time a year ago, despite concerns from some in the league about sharing revenue with a non-football school.

Gonzaga and the Big East have had talks in the past, but nothing significant since last December, when league commissioner Val Ackerman attended the Gonzaga-UConn game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Ackerman had previously said at Big East Media Day in October that there is “nothing better for Gonzaga than the Big East.”

It doesn’t currently appear that a move is on the cards for the Zags, especially after the West Coast Conference welcomed Oregon State and Washington State as affiliate members for the next two academic years. The league will also welcome Grand Canyon and Seattle U as full-time members starting in 2025-26.