Report: Big 12 planning to restructure amid Texas, Oklahoma departures

With Oklahoma and Texas out of the picture down the road, the Big 12 has to make some drastic changes. We’re now getting an idea of what those changes might be.

The league is planning to split into two seven-team football divisions starting in 2023, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. The restructure would be temporary as realignment continues.

Conference athletic directors — including future members — met last month to talk about a plan before Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC. The new structure could be in place from 2023-25, depending on when future programs end up joining.

“The Big 12 is operating under the assumption that both the Longhorns and Sooners will stay in the league four more years the current Big 12 television contract with Fox and ESPN ends in 2025,” Dodd wrote. “If not, both schools would be subject to what have been projected as nine-figure early exit fees for breaking the Big 12 grant of rights that bind schools’ TV inventory to the conference.”

Per NCAA rules, any conference with 12 or more teams has to split into divisions for football. With BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF set to enter the fold, the Big 12 will have 14 teams — necessitating a format change. The plan is for those four teams to join the league next season.

Once Texas and Oklahoma leave after 2025, the league would go to two six-team divisions starting in 2026.

“We’ve got subcommittees in several sports that are talking about structure,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told CBS Sports. “Conference office, staff, ADs, sports administrators and coaches involved on a sport-by-sport basis, they’re all doing the same thing.”

More on Big 12 realignment

The realignment dominoes began to fall in July when Oklahoma and Texas announced they intended to leave for the SEC. That led to three American Athletic Conference teams — Cincinnati, Houston and UCF — leaving to replace them in the Big 12.

From there, the American pulled from Conference USA by adding Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA.