Big 12 Football: 10 most appealing schools for conference expansion

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners leaving the Big 12 football conference obviously will put the eight remaining schools in a tough spot as to what to do next. The eight remaining schools in the Big 12 could try to band together and expand to 12, 14, or 16 teams this year to salvage what remains if this conference. Or, the Big 12 could wind up collapsing in a matter of years (at most) with the eight remaining schools leaving for other conferences.

In a situation where the Big 12 does wind up folding, it doesn’t seem like all of the eight remaining schools would land in another power conference. That is unless a conference like the PAC-12 decides to essentially merge with what remains of the Big 12.

So what is the most beneficial situation both for the Big 12 as a conference, and what remains of the eight schools in the mix?

What the next move will be for Big 12 football post-Texas and OU?

An argument for holding this group together exists if there are other quality candidates out there to add to the conference in this round of realignment. And the Big 12 might be able to still get a sizable payout from Texas and Oklahoma once the two schools leave for the SEC.

But if one schools breaks apart from the Big 12 and joins another power conference, the rest could scatter in a matter of days. It does seem like the latter of these two possibilities has a higher likelihood. We won’t know what officially happens likely for another few weeks, though.

If the Big 12 does stick together, which potential expansion candidates would make the most sense? Here’s a look at 10 in particular that should appeal to the Big 12.