After a whirlwind of activity that started just 7 weeks ago, the University of Houston has accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference. UH will join UCF, BYU, and Cincinnati in moving to the Big 12.
The anticipated join date is July 1, 2023. UH will officially inform the AAC of the decision in the days to come. The newly-configured Big 12 boasts two Final Four teams from a year ago, including the national champion, as well as runners-up in men’s tennis and women’s golf.
The new Big 12 has had 9 teams participate in the New Year 6 in the seven years since the College Football Playoff was instituted. And the basketball conference will remain in the top two leagues nationwide and will be even better than it was with UT and OU.
ESPN Basketball Power Index 2021
1. WCC
2. Big 12
3. Big 12 (UH)
4. Big Ten
5. Big Ten
6. Big Ten
7. Big East
8. Big 12
9. SEC
10. Pac-12
The newly formed B12 has more top-25 teams in the final Sagarin Index than any other conference:
6 – Big 12
5 – Big Ten, SEC
4 – Pac-12
3 – Others
2 – ACC
Most importantly, the Big 12 means better conference rivalries that will draw better crowds, increase donations and gameday revenue, and significantly boost UH’s share of TV rights monies. The league will help UH recruiting in every sport, especially football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and softball.
