Cincinnati Football: Reviewing the recent Big 12 spring meetings

The Big 12 Conference recently wrapped up their annual spring meetings last week, announcing a few changes that will impact the Bearcats in a couple years. In addition to the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments remaining in Kansas City through 2027, the conference also intends to name a new commissioner in July.

Cincinnati Football: Reviewing the recent Big 12 spring meetings

“The members going out, the continuing members, we all share the same challenges. It’s not like they’re coming into a uniquely different environment with a different set of challenges,” current Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby explained per The Oklahoman. “I don’t know that the change in membership is causing us any particular scrambling.”

Bowlsby has been conference commissioner for more than a decade but decided to retire in early April. According to the Kansas City Star, the Big 12 expects to announce a new commissioner at football media days next month. Bowlsby is expected to remain in charge for the next 30+ days until a replacement is revealed.

It was originally reported that Cincinnati would join the Big 12 on July 1, 2024 but the conference is hoping to move that up nearly a year. BYU is planning to move next summer and Cincinnati, Houston and UCF could follow suit in the fall of 2023. We will likely find out more about the upcoming transition this summer.

Even though it’s still unclear when Oklahoma and Texas will shift to the SEC, the latest possible date is July 1, 2025. The conference also announced each program earned $42.6 million from the distribution deal last year and that figure could reach more than $50 million by the time Cincinnati makes the move.