Is the Big 12 expansion en route for a 16-team conference? UConn, Arizona, and Colorado emerge as potential suitors 

After adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to its fold, the Big 12 has plans to further expand. The conference will witness the exit of Texas and Oklahoma for the Southeastern Conference in 2024, which will bring the number of members down to 12.

The Big 12, aiming to maintain its influential position in college athletics, will likely seek to expand its membership to 14 schools, or potentially 16, following the examples of the SEC and the Big 10, which is adding USC and UCLA in 2024.

The conference is in good hands financially. It sealed a six-year media deal worth $2.28 billion with ESPN and Fox in the last quarter of 2022. The conference also recently shared $44 million among its member schools for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Top candidates for Big 12 expansion

The Big 12 has been in search of prospective members since the confirmation of the exit of Texas and Oklahoma. The conference has held extensive talks with a couple of programs across the country, most especially in the struggling Pac-12.

Let's take a look at the schools that could make up a potential 16-team Big 12.

Colorado

Colorado appears to be at the center of Big 12 expansion plans. The consideration of the Buffaloes by the conference is primarily due to the hiring of Deion Sanders as head coach. The program has received a good level of attention since his arrival.

Coach Prime has helped rejuvenate the Colorado program, bringing with it a wave of excitement, controversy and most notably a renewed sense of relevance. With the Pac-12 struggling to secure a new media deal, Colorado's return to the Big 12 might be in the cards.

Arizona

Arizona is also high on the list for the Big 12. The school's future in the Pac-12 looks uncertain as a result of the conference's struggle to strike a new media deal. It's no secret that the university has been weighing up its options over the last few months.

The university athletic department already held extensive talks with the Big 12 over realignment possibilities. Like Colorado, the school is waiting to see the outcome of the Pac-12 media deal before making its decision.

UConn

UConn has a rich history of success in college athletics, particularly in men's and women's basketball, with its men's team winning a national championship in April. With the school's impressive track record in college sports, it's no surprise it's on the conference radar.

It is believed in certain quarters that Brett Yormark, the commissioner of the Big 12, has intentions to prioritize and strengthen the conference's basketball appeal. Without, a doubt the UConn Huskies are a perfect candidate to make that happen.