Cincinnati Formally Submits Membership Application to Big 12, per Reports

Cincinnati has formally submitted its membership application to the Big 12 and a decision on its entry could come as early as this week, The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Athletic reported Wednesday.

The news comes after reports last week that Cincinnati — along with BYU, Houston and UCF — would submit membership applications and likely be accepted by the end of this week. The move would expand the current membership of the Big 12 to 14 teams with OU and Texas still in the league until 2025, though eventually the expectation is that the Big 12 will indeed be comprised of 12 teams with both the Sooners and Longhorns imminently departing for the SEC.

BYU, Houston and UCF applications for membership are likely imminent this week with the expectation — based upon reporting from The Athletic — that all three schools as well as Cincinnati have the requisite votes to be voted into the Big 12 ranks. BYU could join the league as early as 2022 because of its status as an Independent in football, while the AAC schools may not join until a year or two later.