Price Houston, Cincinnati, UCF paid to join Big 12 revealed
Mar 12, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby announces to media that Big 12 Tournament games are canceled at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
The Big 12 officially announced on Friday that four new schools will be joining the conference next year, and we now how much some of those schools have to pay to make the jump.
Houston, Cincinnati and UCF are all leaving the American Athletic Conference to join the Big 12. According to Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic, the buyout figure for each of the schools is $18 million. They have several years to pay the full amount.
To clarify: That is $18 million each school must pay the AAC.
The buyout will be paid over 14 years sources told me and @Williams_Justin. The original buyout if Houston, Cincinnati and UCF weren’t leaving early ($10 million) was to be paid over 4 years.
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) June 10, 2022
Obviously, the price is worth it. The three aforementioned schools will be joined by BYU as the newest members of the Big 12. The conference will get weaker in 2025 when Texas and Oklahoma leave, but being in the Big 12 should still be a much better situation for Houston, Cincinnati and UCF.
