Big 12 and UConn pause expansion talks, although Commissioner Brett Yormark remains optimistic about the Huskies

The Big 12 and UConn have paused talks about a potential expansion after holding discussions over the past few weeks. Despite a late push, both sides ultimately decided to leave the negotiating table for now.

“As commissioner, it is my responsibility to explore a variety of value-added opportunities on behalf of the Big 12,” Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. “After extensive discussions with my conference colleagues and UConn leadership, we have collectively decided to pause our discussions at this time. We will instead focus our attention and resources on ushering in this new era of college sports.”

Yormark came to the Big 12 with an extensive background in the Northeast and in basketball. While football has influenced nearly every decision regarding FBS expansion, conference officials have been consistently intrigued by the benefits of basketball, even going so far as to carve basketball out of the conference's media contract and sell it separately.

UConn has grown into one of the nation's premier basketball schools over the past 30 years with its history on both the men's and women's side. The Huskies have won two consecutive men's national championships and have won a total of six titles since 1999. The women have won 11 titles since 1995 and stand out as a top program in the sport's history. Dan Hurley and Geno Auriemma are both arguably the faces of their respective sports today.

The football program, however, is a huge black mark in expansion discussions. Although Jim Mora Jr. unexpectedly helped the Huskies reach a bowl game in 2022, the program has won three or fewer games six times in the past seven seasons while competing as a non-power team. Since leaving the American Athletic Conference to compete as an FBS independent, the Huskies are 10-28. One proposal has UConn football not becoming a full member of the Big 12 until after the next contract in 2031 to give the Huskies time to build, but that remains a contentious issue.

Ultimately, there were too many presidents and athletic directors in the Big 12 at the time who were not convinced of UConn's benefit to the Big 12, sources told CBS Sports. Questions loomed over how UConn would be paid; having any of the 16 members give up revenue from the current media deal was an impossibility. Sources said matters could also be complicated by the fact that UConn was/is tied to the Big East under the league's bylaws and could not have opted out until at least 2027 – not 2026 (as previously reported) – without significant financial shenanigans.

Yormark had hoped for a quick turnaround against UConn, but that would not have been possible for several reasons.

According to sources, Yormark still believes in UConn's potential and brand and isn't giving up hope that the Huskies will one day make it to the Big 12. He wants to be represented in the Northeast and knows UConn is the school that has by far the most value. But he realized the timing wasn't right with UConn and agreed to withdraw so as not to embroil things in his new 16-team league, a source said. If everyone in the Big 12 wasn't on board, it wasn't in the conference's best interest to put the issue off until the fall, Yormark realized.

Yormark's aggressiveness helped him beat the old Pac-12 and ultimately allowed the Big 12 to survive despite realignment. Since he took over the Big 12, the league has welcomed eight new teams: the former Pac-12 teams plus BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF.

The Big East with 11 schools will retain its most important member in the future, while the newly formed Big 12 with 16 schools is likely to remain the strongest basketball league in the country even without the Huskies.