CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Zach Wilson holds a jersey onstage after being drafted second by the New York Jets during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Big 12 Conference is attempting to fight the SEC’s expansion and acquire more schools to maintain national relevancy. The institutions they’re attempting to acquire include: the University of Cincinnati, Brigham Young University, University of Houston and University of Central Florida.
Cincinnati would be a big addition, as they are currently ranked seventh in the country. They’re led by one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Desmond Ridder, so the program is as relevant as ever. Hopefully, this carries over in upcoming seasons and the team can continue the prestigious tradition of the Big 12.
As for BYU, they play in the West Coast Conference and are coming off a major win over Arizona. They produced quarterback Zach Wilson last year, the second overall draft pick, to the New York Jets. They’re another nationally relevant program and should compete in the conference in the short term as well as the long term. UCF plays in the American Athletic Conference and has been a mainstay in the top 25 rankings for the past half-decade. They added head coach Guz Malzahn in the offseason, and his resume speaks for itself. He’s won the SEC, made it to the National Championship and beaten Alabama. The man is an extremely solid head coach and should change the long-term outlook for UCF. They overcame Boise State in their first game of this season, marking a promising start for the program.
Houston is easily the worst program of the four. They suffered a loss to Texas Tech in their opening game and finished with a mere 3-5 record last year. This is the program that’s going to need to work the hardest to compete with the heavyweights.
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