BIG 12 EXPANSION: Why not Nebraska and Colorado?

You can’t click three times these days without stumbling across a Big 12 Expansion piece, now that the struggling conference has rallied around a decision to maybe possibly add members. This is exciting for everyone because it opens the doors to limitless speculation over the next several weeks before actual football begins.

But Big 12, you’re overthinking this. You’re also going after the small fries. No offense to BYU, Houston, and the like, but there are a couple of prime targets sitting right in your back yard. Y’all need to add Nebraska and Colorado.

Hear us out on this one, there are plenty of reasons.

Cachet & Relevance

These two teams have both won or shared a national championship since 1990. Nebraska hasn’t exactly set the B1G on fire in the past few seasons, but they certainly haven’t been a doormat, and might be looking to jump ship to a conference they could have more success in. Same with Colorado. Not only would they be a perennial bowl team in a conference like the Big 12, but they also open up that Denver TV market, the gateway to the West Coast, making them a vital cog in the revenue puzzle, market footprint something et cetera.

Historical Significance

Both Colorado and Nebraska have storied histories as football programs and would lend a much-needed infusion of football credibility to counterbalance some of the teams in the conference that struggle with perception regularly, like Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas.

Geographical Consideration

The Big 12 is throwing out tons of darts at this board, with schools like USF, Tulane, and BYU showing up regularly in articles. Well, Nebraska and Colorado are already right next door, in states that border your existing footprint. Think of the savings in terms of hours of travel and flight costs. As we all know, the real focus here is on the student-athlete’s ability to excel academically, and extensive travel curtails that.

Mascot Liveliness

The one area that the Big 12 truly shines is the area of mascot engagement. Look at these cute creatures do some crazy dances! Add to this delightful mix a mutant infant from a post-apocalyptic agrarian society and a live buffalo that tries to trample sportscasters and you’ve got perhaps the most elite conference, mascot-wise.

So quit outsmarting yourselves over this, Big 12 brass. Start your shady backroom dealings now and infuse some fresh blood into your anemic corpse of a conference by snapping up those two prize sows right in your own back yard. We’re certain these two respected programs would be eager to dive headfirst into such a well-thought-out and carefully-planned conference.