- - - Big 12 board rejects Memphis' $200 million, no strings bid to join conference

Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY NETWORK July 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM

The Big 12 Conference has rejected a proposal to add a new school to its conference.

According to the Commercial Appeal ― part of the USA TODAY Network ― Memphis officials have acknowledged they put together a bid to join the Big 12 Conference in the latest college football realignment move.

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However, for the third time in a decade, the Big 12 has rejected the Tigers' request to join the conference. This time, Memphis reportedly made a bid worth $200 million to jump from the American Conference and into a Power 4 conference.

“The University of Memphis is aware of the recent conversations regarding our potential inclusion in the Big 12," the university said in a statement. "While those discussions did not ultimately move in our favor, our university and Memphis athletics are stronger than ever, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our position nationally.”

Memphis athletic director Ed Scott has stated his goal for the program is to join a major conference since he took over in June 2024. He laid out two potential conferences he'd like to join. Scott would earn a $250,000 bonus if Memphis joined the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 or ACC. The Big 12, of course, recently added Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State to join recently added members UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston. The latter three school all came from the American Conference.

"There's really two options that everybody knows about: The Big 12 and the ACC," Scott said.

With the rejection from the Big 12, an attempt to join the ACC could be on the horizon for the Tigers. Memphis turned down an invite to join the reforged Pac-12 last fall.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Memphis' $200 million bid to join Big 12 Conference rejected

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