Thamel: Big 12 Vote To Welcome BYU Expected Friday

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A vote to welcome BYU to the Big 12 is expected to be held on Friday according to Yahoo Sports Pete Thamel.

The vote will include existing Big 12 presidents and will also include invites for the University of Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston. The presidents are expected to vote in favor of the four schools.

“Sources: A Big 12 presidents call is scheduled for Friday morning to formally vote UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU into the league,” Thamel tweeted. “The vote is largely considered a formality.”

Sources: A Big 12 presidents call is scheduled for Friday morning to formally vote UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU into the league. The vote is largely considered a formality.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 9, 2021

Big 12 expansion has been discussed for several years but became a reality last month when Oklahoma and Texas, the two highest-profile football teams in the conference, informed the league they planned to join the SEC ahead of the 2025 college football season.

To approve a new member, eight yea votes from the league’s presidents are needed. Texas and Oklahoma, which are set to go to the SEC in 2025, still vote in these league decisions.

BYU in the Big 12 in 2022?

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy was on the Cougar Tracks Podcast last week and said that BYU could potentially join the Big 12 in 2022. However, for BYU to join the Big 12 in 2022, they would have to rearrange their Independent schedules.

BYU currently has 11 games scheduled for the 2022 season.

McMurphy also told KSL Sports that the membership for Big 12 expansion came down to eight teams. BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, Boise State, USF, Memphis, and SMU. The Cougars and three of the top programs from the AAC stood out above the rest because of fan base size, history, and potential eyeballs in future TV deals.

Since 2011, BYU has been an FBS Independent after being a founder member of the Mountain West Conference in 1999. Last season, BYU posted its best season in nearly 25 years, going 11-1 and finishing No. 11 in the final AP Top 25 poll.

BYU opens the 2021 football season on Saturday night against the Arizona Wildcats in Las Vegas at 8:30 p.m. (MT).