UConn To The Big 12? Should They?

Over the last couple of years, the Big 12 has seen a bit of a rebuild. They’ve added eight teams to their conference and lost two. Despite adding more teams, the two they lost took away one of college football’s biggest rivalries – Texas and Oklahoma – who both moved to the Southeastern Conference.

In the midst of these additions comes the latest report that the Big 12 is in talks to add the University of Connecticut amongst their ranks in all sports.

UConn, coming off back-to-back National Championships in men’s basketball, has been with the modern version of the Big East for some sports since 2020. This coming after seven years in the American Athletic Conference, following the reorganization of the original Big East. With the return to the Big East, their football team has been without a conference in that time.

While rumors were rampant for years that UConn could look to join a bigger conference like the Big 12 or Atlantic Coastal Conference, now it appears that they may be coming to fruition. It would be the third time since 2010 that they’ve changed conferences.

When these types of moves are made, the schools often find the financials to get out of their contracts and pay the conference fees, so it’s not worth talking about here. That said, how they ultimately fit into the conference is a different story.

How a school fits can dictate if a school belongs. Not every checkmark needs to be hit, but if there’s no real incentive for them to add a school (barring desperation to stay alive) then it may not make sense. It’s like signing a free agent at the professional level: a relief pitcher is always a sexy addition, but if your team needs an outfielder to put up runs, it doesn’t help.

So how does UConn fit in? We’ll be looking at the major sports: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, football, baseball and softball. Will they make the grade?

 

Men’s Basketball

Let’s start with the obvious, UConn’s basketball program would attract any conference. Six National Championships, seven trips to the Final Four, and 36 tournament appearances (really 37 but one was vacated by the NCAA)…it would be a no brainer. Add to it UConn’s recent back-to-back title wins and it would be a slam dunk. There’s no need to compare here.

Verdict: Fit

 

Women’s Basketball

Another no brainer. You can’t talk about women’s basketball without talking about UConn. 11 National Championships, 23 Final Fours, and an appearance in every tournament since 1989, that’s just pure dominance. Again, no need to break it down any further.

Verdict: Fit

 

Football

UConn football has been a mess. Since their Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma in 2010, UConn has failed to crack .500 and has appeared in two bowl games (both losses to Marshall). Since the hire of Jim Mora Jr. as their head coach, they’ve gone 9-16. It’s been a struggle to say least for UConn, even with some signs of promise.

Looking at the start of the season rankings, UConn is ranked 120 out of 134 schools. The average Big 12 ranking is 39. There would be a lot of work needed. Given that the Big 12 has always prided itself on their football prestige, any addition involving UConn would need an extended grace period to get up to snuff.

Verdict: Not A Fit

 

Baseball

For a team that plays the first part of their season in Florida and California, UConn’s baseball team has been surprisingly underrated. While they haven’t made the College World Series since 1979, they’ve made 13 appearances in the college baseball tournament and three regional championships in the time.

Last year, UConn finished as the fifteenth best team in college baseball. Two Big 12 teams (West Virginia and Kansas State) were the only teams to finish ahead of them. There were also two teams from the conference that finished behind them (Oklahoma State at 21 and Arizona at 25). It seems this would be a check in the right direction.

Verdict: Fit

 

Softball

UConn’s softball team hasn’t been good in recent years. The last time they made the college tournament or won a Big East championship was in 2001. They won two regular season conference championships in the last couple of years, but thats really about it.

Last year alone, the Big 12 held the top two positions, as well as an additional two teams in the top 25. To really put it into perspective, the closest Big 12 team to UConn was Houston at 92 (UConn final ranking was 98th).

Verdict: Not A Fit

 

Conclusion

UConn by the numbers would be a fit, 3-2. Their basketball program would elevate the conference and their baseball team could help raise the prestige of the conference. Their football team and softball would be the main questions as both do need improvements.

Like in school, some sports carry more weight than others and can determine if they’d be accepted or not. The Big 12 could look at the Huskies’ football program and say “thanks but no thanks” even with the basketball dominance.

What do you think? Should UConn join the Big 12 if an offer is made?