It has become clear that the Univeristy of Memphis is looking to join the Big 12 Conference, but there is not enough support in the conference to make it happen right now. Currently, Memphis is part of the now-rebranded American Conference (formerly AAC).
The proposal looks to be as high as $200 million over the next five years and was serious enough to get the league presidents to discuss it on Monday, but the lack of support could be a bit of an issue. Dellenger spoke to multiple sources under anonymity about the proposal and he mentioned this in his article.
“The proposal from Memphis — one of the most aggressive membership propositions in college athletics history — features hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship commitments to the Big 12 from UM-affiliated corporate partners, as well as the school eschewing revenue distribution from the league for at least five years.”
This is not anything out of the blue for the Big 12 Conference as Memphis’ president has been looking at a move for more than a year at this point.
“This particular effort began more than a year ago. Memphis president Bill Hardgrave has spent at least 14 months visiting with the presidents and top athletic administrators of many Big 12 schools in individual, on-campus meetings that have culminated in a membership offer to the league that is expected to be as high as $200 million over the next five years.”
In order for Memphis, or any other school, to join the Big 12, they would need to get the support from 12 of the 16 league’s presidents and chancellors. The conference last expanded in 2024 when they added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah ahead of the 2024 season and has added eight schools since 2023.
Will the Memphis Tigers be part of the Big 12 Conference in the future? It will be interesting to see.
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