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The Big 12 is going to add zero, two, or four teams pretty soon. It has a list of at least 17 schools to meet with in the process, but one highly respected reporter is saying the same thing lots of people were already assuming anyway:
McMurphy, on ECU's chances of being part of Big 12 expansion: Don't shoot the messenger, but it appears to be 3-horse race. (BYU, Cincy, UH)
— David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) August 15, 2016
And how are those three doing lately? Let’s just check each school’s latest headline, as far as Big 12 expansion goes.
Houston:
Mike Gundy does not want Houston in the Big 12, and he’s not the only one: #okstate #Big12Expansion https://t.co/82qxI6DJUi
— CRFF (@CowboysRFF) August 12, 2016
BYU:
The best analysis I've read so far of the BYU-LGBT-Big 12 conundrum, written by a BYU alum/LGBT ally. @PostJimmer. https://t.co/PKVz8ZBtwb
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) August 9, 2016
Aaand Cincinnati:
Urban Meyer on University of Cincinnati: "I'm a graduate and a fan. I think they should be in the Big 12." #OhioState
— Todd Jones (@Todd_Jones) August 14, 2016
Quite obviously, UC alum Meyer doesn’t have a vote here. But if even he — arguably the person who has the most to lose if another Ohio team joins the Power 5, even if it’s still not much — can say the Bearcats have a worthy case, they probably have a worthy case.
And they do. Add together numbers that represent what the conference says it’s looking for, and Cincy stands alone among the top four choices as the candidate without a weird geography issue, whether it’s too close (Houston) or too far (BYU, UConn). Its geography would solve one problem anyway, since it’s near the lonely West Virginia and would add one of the country’s best recruiting grounds to the Big 12. UC’s been very high on Oklahoma’s list for a long time, too.
Nothing is guaranteed here, but for reasons that go well beyond just the recent headlines, it’s been feeling for a while like UC might be comfortably in the top two.
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