A source familiar with the Big 12’s thinking told SI.com on Tuesday that it looks “nearly definite” that the league will expand by two schools and “highly possible” the league could expand by four schools....
The Big 12’s television consultants put forth a compelling presentation in Dallas on Tuesday. They showed how four new teams combined with the addition of a conference championship game could add nearly one billion additional dollars before the league’s deal with ESPN and Fox expires in 2025.
But why, wondered one industry source, would you "water down your league." There's a reason the Power Five conferences emerged out of the last round of realignment.
They are the best collection of schools, the ones for which the networks will pony up to own their television and streaming rights.