Louisville Out of the Question, Who Should Big 12 Add?

The Big 12 Conference’s ambitions of growing took a hit on Wednesday when the Louisville Cardinals announced that they would be bailing on the Big East  and heading for the ACC. With them now out of the Big 12 expansion picture, who should the Big 12 look to add?

Here’s an interesting list of the possibilities and some of the pros and cons involved with each.

Florida State Seminoles

The Seminoles would add a huge football advantage as well as a rising men’s basketball team as well. There’s a lot of advantages for the school as well, being able to play the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns among others. The big disadvantage is the geographic location in relation to the Big 12’s average team. But if adding West Virginia Mountaineers said anything, it’s that the Big 12 certainly isn’t afraid to stretch it’s reach out a little bit.

Clemson Tigers

Clemson is a huge bargaining chip for the Big 12, as getting the Tigers to agree to come with Florida State would encourage both schools to consider the possibility of going together. Football-wise, Clemson addition is a power move partly because of the fact their team is so young and has amazing recruits coming in. Their location is a far travel for many of their schools.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Tulsa has consistently been a solid football school recently, and although their football facilities would be below average, their recent level of competition would be sure to add strength and legitimacy to the Big 12. A great fit to add more to the region rivalry aspect with their eight men’s sports and 10 women’s sports.

Houston Cougars

This move just makes sense. Although the Houston television market is mostly viewed as a Texas A&M Aggies town, getting the Cougars on board would be another addition in a large metro-area. A year ago, then commissioner Dan Beebe made it clear that he had no interest in Houston joining, but Beebe is gone, and although expanding to a new area adds new potential, don’t be afraid of investing in the teams that are there now by adding Houston.

Dan Irwin is a sports writer for Rant Sports.  Follow him on Twitter @ danirwin_rant or on Facebook at “facebook.com/danirwin.sports“.