Big 12 Football: 3 expansion candidates that should’ve been included

Memphis

It’s very impressive how the Memphis Tigers football program have sustained so much success in recent years, despite all their head coaches that were picked off by Power Five conference programs. One of the latest examples of that was the success Memphis sustained in the past few seasons after former head coach Phil Norvell bolted for the Florida State Seminoles job.

And you could argue that Memphis is a few levels above Florida State right now as far as the current state of the football program is concerned.

Moreover, there are multiple reasons why Big 12 fans should like the idea of the conference adding Memphis to the mix. First and foremost, Memphis is one of the strongest athletic programs among Group of Five schools in terms of the combined prowess of the football and men’s basketball teams.

As Memphis has also competed consistently on the gridiron with Power Five opposition, this program clearly proved that it could hang in a conference like the Big 12. The Tigers are already off to a 3-0 start this fall and could challenge for the Group of Five’s bid in the New Year’s Six bowls.

If this decision were up to me, SMU and Memphis would be the first two calls if the Big 12 were to hypothetically expand beyond 12 teams. Memphis and SMU are both sustainable and solid football and men’s basketball programs. In the world of NIL, that would be very valuable to the Big 12.