Cincinnati, Houston, And UCF Leaving American Athletic Conference In 2023 For Big 12

NCAA Football: Oklahoma at Kansas
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

After reaching an exit agreement with the American Athletic Conference, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF will officially join the Big 12 on July 1, 2023, the league and schools announced Friday.

Rumors have been discussed for months and now it is official that these schools are leaving the American Athletic conference. The Big 12 could be getting a huge competition boost, especially in football, as all three of these teams have put together impressive seasons in recent history. Most notably, Cincinnati, who was in last year’s College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC by 2025. If they stay in the Big 12 until 2025, the league will have 14 teams for two seasons. The term sheet states that Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF will each pay $18 million to exit the American Athletic Conference.

FAU, Charlotte, UAB, Texas, Rice, and UT-San Antonio have joined the American from Conference USA. The schools are expected to begin conference play next year, with Charlotte and UTSA announcing Friday that they will join on July 1, 2023.

College football conference shake ups continue, with rumors starting to develop into truth.

Tags:

Categorized: