The Big 12 conference is set to undergo significant changes as Brigham Young University (BYU), Cincinnati, Houston, and the University of Central Florida (UCF) join the league. However, with these new additions comes the challenge of scheduling for the non-football sports in the conference.
Football drives conference realignment, but it also plays the least number of games and mostly on weekends. While the revenue generated by football is crucial, its once-a-week Saturday schedule allows athletes to attend classes. Other sports in the Big 12 must adjust their schedules based on football’s influence.
The Big 12 will face new scheduling challenges once BYU joins in 2023, followed by Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. For instance, in basketball, common sense hasn’t always prevailed in the conference’s scheduling decisions. It’s not uncommon for teams to have late-night away games and then struggle to balance class attendance the following day. This is a concern for coaches like Bob Huggins of West Virginia University (WVU), who highlight the importance of prioritizing the well-being of student-athletes.
It’s crucial for the Big 12 to consider the unique scheduling situations that will arise with the addition of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. The distances and time zones between these schools and existing Big 12 members like WVU need to be taken into account. For example, arranging basketball games between WVU and BYU, separated by two time zones and over 1,900 miles, will require careful scheduling to avoid unnecessary strain on the players and coaches.
When asked about preliminary discussions on scheduling, WVU women’s basketball coach Mike Carey expressed his belief that the Big 12 doesn’t seem to care about the scheduling issues. However, the conference should pay attention to this matter to prevent it from causing problems in the future.
Carey suggested that the Big 12 might consider adopting divisions in basketball, similar to the plan for football. Divisions could help reduce travel, especially if schools like WVU, Cincinnati, and UCF end up in the same division. However, dividing the non-division conference games would pose a challenge. For instance, teams with different schedules when it comes to facing tougher opponents could affect their seeding in the Big 12 tournament.
While divisions may not be popular in college basketball, having one division with each team playing all others once and having seven home-and-home opponents could be a viable solution. It wouldn’t solve all the issues regarding seeding or scheduling of weeknight games, but it would be a step in the right direction.
The key takeaway is that the Big 12 needs to adapt to the changing landscape of the conference. With new schools joining and Texas and Oklahoma leaving, scheduling all sports effectively will be crucial to maintaining a successful and balanced league. Finding solutions that benefit all teams and student-athletes, not just football, should be a priority for the Big 12 moving forward.
