Big 12 football: What teams should the Big 12 look to bring in if they decide to expand?
By Trenton Corn
Independents
Notre Dame
Teams prestige: (Their popularity in the college football landscape and past success) 9/10
Teams Marketability: (How much revenue the college could generate) 9/10
Teams location: (How well the teams location fits in with teams already in the conference) 4/10
Teams recruiting grounds: ( How well the area the team is in bodes as far as recruiting goes) 6/10
Total: 28-40
Notre Dame is one of the biggest and most well known football programs in the country, and according to Forbes, is the seventh most valuable program in all of college football, directly behind Oklahoma.
Notre Dame finished 13-1 last season, and made an appearance in the college football playoff. Some people, however, thought that the Fighting Irish didn’t belong in the playoff due to them not being in a conference and not playing in a conference championship game. Their 3-30 loss to the eventual national champion Clemson Tigers all but added fuel to the naysayers fire.
To prevent the possibility of them being left out of the playoff due to being an independent, Notre Dame in my opinion would benefit in joining a conference. It just so happens, that the Big 12 appears to be looking to add teams making this a match made in heaven looking at the grand scheme of things.
Can you imagine the Big 12 with a three headed monster of Oklahoma, Texas, and Notre Dame?
However, although this is a match made in heaven, I just don’t see it happening.
Why would Notre Dame stop being an independent? They are proving you don’t have to be in a conference to be a profitable program with the help of the schools TV contract. Also, if the lack of competition is a problem, Notre Dames ability to schedule whoever they please can allow them to beef up who they play each season.
Say that Notre Dame were to join a conference, the likely partner for them would be the ACC considering that they already are in ACC play for basketball purposes.
With the school being a huge market without a conference, and the schools ACC ties, I just don’t see Notre Dame going to the Big 12.
BYU
Team prestige: 6/10
Teams Marketability: 7/10
Teams location: 5/10
Teams recruiting grounds: 2/10
Total: 20-40
What the Catholics are to Notre Dame is what the Mormons are to BYU. BYU has built their program following the Notre Dame mold, as they’re an independent school with support from the church and a TV deal with ESPN as well. Although Utah isn’t the closest geographically or the best state as far as recruits go, neither is West Virginia, and BYU makes much more sense financially then West Virginia. BYU’s stadium would be good for the third biggest in the Big 12 behind Texas and Oklahoma, and would contend to be the conferences third most profitable brand.
The Cons to bringing in BYU? Their football team hasn’t been as good as they were since the Big 12 talked about expanding a few years back. The team went 7-6 last season, and is two seasons removed from a 4-9 performance. And their basketball program hasn’t been a contender since Jimmer Ferdette left.
My verdict? Financially it makes sense for the Big 12 to bring in BYU, but the teams prestige in the athletic department has died tremendously in recent years, and the teams location geographically has just never been good for the Big12.
I personally don’t think the Big 12 should go after BYU as they just have more cons than pros, and quite frankly, I don’t think BYU is ready to be in a conference any time soon.