Arizona could be get new rival with reports Big XII pursuing UConn

Arizona could have a new conference rival with Ross Delenger of Yahoo Sports reporting on Friday "Sources: UConn, Big 12 in serious negotiations about Huskies joining as newest expansion member." The addition of Connecticut would make the best basketball conference nationally even stronger.

Connecticut would instantly become the best women's basketball program in the Big XII. The question with UConn joining the Big XII is how well they would compete in football. Connecticut and West Virginia have a history as long time rivals in the Big East Conference.

Dellenger reported "UConn officials visited with Big 12 athletic administrators in Dallas last week. Though nothing is imminent, the in-person presentation is a sign of the serious nature of the discussions." Big XII commissioner Brett Yormark is scheduled to make a similar presentation to league presidents next week.

Per Dellenger Big XII expansion requires approval by 75 percent of the league members or 12 of the 16 programs. Connecticut would join the conference for all sports except football by 2026 at the latest per Dellenger. UConn would join the Big XII in 2031 for football if it met certain investment thresholds.

The Big XII wants to wait before admitting UConn to the conference for football until 2031 because that is when the next television deal begins. There is always potential for teams to leave the conference between now and 2031. The ACC, Big 10 and SEC could always seek to expand in the future.

UConn would not receive a full revenue distribution share in the Big XII per Dellenger. The Big XII would further its footprint in nearly everywhere nationally with the addition of UConn. Only the Pacific Time Zone is missing for the Big XII in the continental United States.

West Virginia which is over 500 miles away from UConn would be the closest Big XII school. West Virginia has won seven of the eight meetings with UConn in football. Arizona has never played UConn in football. The Arizona men's and women's basketball teams have had some memorable games versus UConn.

Per Dellenger "As the last remaining independent football program in the country — excluding outlier Notre Dame — UConn receives the smallest portion of revenue from the College Football Playoff." The Big XII adding UConn would be the latest aggressive move by Yorkmark.

The Big XII has also been in deep negotiations with Allstate Insurance about a naming rights deal for the conference and Yormark has discussed deals with private equity firms that could be as worth as much as $50 million per school. Yormark has consistently been aggressive to avoid the Big XII suffering the fate of the Pac-12.