Big 12 Football: 4 more expansion candidates worth considering

SMU

There might not be a Big 12 expansion candidate that makes more sense after the latest four teams that were added to the mix than the SMU Mustangs. As a very competitive athletic program (especially with the men’s basketball and football programs), SMU looks like a prime candidate that could compete at a good level in the Big 12 a few years down the road.

SMU also looks to have a promising direction for its football program after the hire of the former Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee to replace the departed Sonny Dykes as the next head coach. Lashlee is a bright and young offensive mind that has a bright future ahead in the college football coaching ranks.

Moreover, it would also make for an interesting rivalry to have Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs competing with Lashlee and the Mustangs on the gridiron annually.

Memphis

Another sensible candidate for this hypothetical round of Big 12 expansion would be the Memphis Tigers, who arguably have the best combination of football and men’s basketball programs in the American Athletic Conference in the last decade.

Memphis is also in an appealing TV market that could add a valued recruiting ground in SEC territory for football and hoops.

In my opinion, Memphis made a lot of sense for Big 12 expansion in this latest round, but they were ultimately snubbed for the likes of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston.

If the Big 12 went to 14 or 16 teams in another round of expansion, it’s hard to believe that the Tigers wouldn’t be included in that mix.