Point Counterpoint: Evaluating UConn’s possible move to the Big 12

Tyler Pruneau

Over the last few weeks, massive talks have taken place in the college sports world about the University of Connecticut possibly moving on from the Big East conference to the Big 12 conference. There are many opinions about what UConn should do, but I am here to tell you that they should not join the Big 12 Conference. For starters, let’s go back to 2013 when UConn moved to the American Athletic Conference. In 2014, the men’s basketball team won their fourth national championship in program history. After that magical season, the team had a rough time getting back to where they would like to be. Come 2020, and the team returned to the Big East, after a seven-year stint in the AAC. Connecticut owned a 142-98 record in that span.  

Now, I am not saying that the 2024 UConn men’s basketball team could not compete with Big 12 teams like the University of Kansas, because their recent tournament runs have proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt. More goes into deciding to move conferences than just switching overnight. This is a process that has long-term implications. 

In 2020, when UConn decided to leave the AAC, Connecticut also had to pay an exit fee of $17 million. $10 million as the exit fee and $7 million to leave the conference early. During UConn’s time in the AAC, the football team had a hard time adjusting too. Football was a big reason for leaving, as they struggled to find success going 20-65 in the AAC. After leaving the AAC, the football team became independent, and UConn focused solely on basketball. With that said, odds are that UConn football would have a difficult time in the Big 12 in their present state. There have been talks about the football team staying independent, getting better and joining the Big 12, but I do not think UConn should take the risk of moving to the Big 12 and possibly having to pay $100 million to leave the conference if things do not go their way. Another reason UConn should not leave the Big East is the culture they bring to the conference. For years, UConn has been seen as the powerhouse in men’s and women’s basketball. The Huskies have played top-ranked teams, like Kansas, several times while in the Big East, so why leave the conference when they are already playing at a highly competitive level? 

Thaddeus Sawyer 

For UConn, a move to the Big 12 would be centered on the possibility of gains in revenue sharing. Based on tax filings shared by USA Today, the Big 12 brought in $510.7 million in 2023, distributing a total of $470 million to its members. While they brought in the least revenue of any power conference and only beat out the now debilitated Pacific-12 conference in revenue sharing, those numbers still blow the Big East out of the water.   

According to tax filings the Big East shared with the Marquette fan site Paint Touches, the Big East only brought in $87.2 million in 2023, a slight decrease from 2022. UConn received the most in the Big East from revenue, sharing around $6.3 million, which is still significantly less than the $18 million that first-year members of the Big 12 received. While UConn would have to pay an exit fee to the Big East and possibly a Big 12 entrance fee, if the Big 12 is truly motivated to add UConn basketball, they may be willing to waive this entry fee and/or help to pay out some of that exit fee.  

Some may be worried that this move will have the same troubled fate of UConn’s 2013 American Athletic Conference move. The women’s basketball team suffered from an extreme lack of competition after the move, as they didn’t lose a single conference game during the seven seasons they were part of the conference. However, five programs from the Big 12 made the final AP Top 25 in women’s basketball last season. Creighton was the only other Big East team to be ranked, showing how UConn would actually face an uptick in conference competition. The men would see similar gains, as both 2023 and 2024 saw nine teams from the Big 12 (including those programs in a different conference at the time) make it to March, while the Big East saw five in 2023 and only three in 2024. While Marquette and Creighton are also at the top of the Big East and Villanova has been one of the most successful teams in the last decade, the Big 12 is easily the more well-rounded conference. They, too, have a slate of premier teams on top, including blue blood Kansas as well as Houston and Arizona.   

Other sports would also benefit from this increased competition. For example, four Big 12 teams made the final baseball rankings from ESPN in 2024, while UConn was the only Big East team. Teams such as the field hockey team and both ice hockey teams would not be sponsored by the Big 12, meaning that they would most likely be able to continue as associate members in their existing conferences.  

For the football program, the move would give them time to build up in increments. While UConn would join the Big 12 in all sponsored sports, the football team would not start competing until the 2031 season, provided that certain benchmarks are met. An article written by Eric Olson for the Associated Press talks about Houston’s home attendance of 74,000 for its first two games as a Big 12 member and was the highest attendance they’d ever reached. Ticket sales were up by almost 8,000 from the year before and donations increased by 45%. Higher attendance would not only help to fill the stadium, but also justify renovating the aging Rentschler Field. Donations would help with both this cause and raising NIL for improved recruits. It is also hypothetically possible that UConn could see two separate surges in donors: one when they initially join the Big 12 and another once they begin to play in the conference. Overall, a move to the Big 12 would not only benefit UConn basketball and other sports competitively, but potentially help out football financially.