Big 12 Football: 3 least appealing schools for PAC-12 expansion
Iowa State
What might be the toughest of the three Big 12 schools on this list for the PAC-12 to turn down if the opportunity presented itself is the Iowa State Cyclones. Now under the firm direction of former Toledo Rockets head coach Matt Campbell, Iowa State is becoming a near-established power in the Big 12 on the gridiron.
The problem for the Clones now is that the likes of the Longhorns and Sooners are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC just as this football program is becoming nationally relevant. Iowa State is now looked to year-in and year-out under Campbell as a perennial Big 12 contender. And a talented team coming back in 2021 could give Iowa State a shot at a College Football Playoff berth.
And why the PAC-12 might find it problematic to look at Iowa State as a potential expansion candidate is the fact that sustainability could be gone whenever Campbell leaves for a bigger job. Campbell really stayed loyal to Iowa State thus far in the wake of coaching regime changes at blue bloods such as Texas, Ohio State, Florida, etc.
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Iowa State is a good candidate for expansion, but that might be in a position more to appeal to a conference like the Big Ten or ACC. The geographic proximity doesn’t really exist for Iowa State in the PAC-12 either, which works against the viability of the school on this list. There are some real factors working against Iowa State here.