Big 12 Football: 10 most appealing schools for conference expansion

4. Boise State

A very fun football program that the Big 12 could add would be the Boise State Broncos out of the Mountain West Conference. Boise State is one of the most successful Group of Five football programs since the turn of the century. And it looks like Boise State has an edge that could be kept even in a Power Five conference.

The idea originally popped up that the Big 12 could do some type of partial merger with the AAC and Mountain West. But that could present some problems on the surface. Instead, it could be wiser for the Big 12 to try and take teams from the Mountain West, like Boise State and even maybe the Colorado State Rams, that would be more competitive and sustainable out of the gates.

The AAC has more viable candidates for the Big 12 than the Mountain West. But Boise State could be a comfortable fit for the Big 12, especially with taking a football first approach, by reeling in the growing Boise market and having a clean fit in a north division.

3. Cincinnati

Yet another pretty clear option for the Big 12 to consider for conference expansion out of the AAC would be the Cincinnati Bearcats. Head coach Luke Fickell has Cincinnati as potentially the most dominant Group of Five football programs playing at a high level the past few years. And that trend should only continue from here.

While Fickell certainly has the Cincinnati football program at a level that should be mostly sustainable as long as he’s the head coach, there’s the question of how long he’ll remain there. Fickell is one of the more attractive prospects to make the jump from the Group of Five to the Power Five when the right head coaching job comes along for him.

Between offering a big television market in Cincinnati, OH, and boasting a strong football and basketball program, the Bearcats could be a tremendous addition to the Big 12.