The Big 12 Is Interested In.......UConn?

The Big 12 reportedly is doing its due diligence on the UConn Huskies.

Conference commissioner Brett Yormark hasn't been shy about the fact he wants the conference to expand.

Cincinnati, UCF, BYU and Houston will play their first Big 12 seasons this year, but expansion is hardly ending

Yormark is very open about wanting to grow the conference. The belief has been he'd target the west coast, and possibly try to raid the PAC-12 for Colorado, Utah, Arizona State and Arizona. It remains to be seen. If it fails, it looks like the Big 12 might go east and try to snatch UConn.

UConn reportedly drawing Big 12 interest.

The Huskies are on the "radar" of the Big 12 as the conference looks to grow, according to The Athletic. The school's basketball program is coming off a national title, and has been a dominant force in the sport for decades. However, the UConn football team has been a complete joke for years and it nearly looked the program might disband a few years ago.

While having a dominant basketball team is great, football is ultimately what matters the most. The Huskies simply don't have a solid football program. Even after showing improvement in Jim Mora's first year, it's hard to take UConn seriously on the gridiron.

The Huskies would absolutely fit in on the basketball court. The Big 12 is a dominant college basketball conference, and UConn has four national titles since 2004.

Anyone who acts like the Huskies aren't a basketball powerhouse is simply lying. However, the lack of a competent football team has to be a giant red flag. How could it not be?

The Big 12 is almost certainly still focused on going west and adding a fourth time zone to the conference. It's hard to believe UConn's potential addition should be taken seriously for the time being. That's not to say it won't happen. It just means it's very unlikely at the moment.

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.