CFB insider claims Big 12 expansion will help conference thrive despite stiff Big Ten and SEC competition

The Big 12 has been at the forefront of conference realignment as the conference will grow to 16 teams next season. While there had previously been questions regarding how it would compete with the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, college football insider Greg Swaim does not believe that will be an issue for the conference.

The television and radio sports personality wrote that he believes the Big 12 will thrive despite its perceived inability to match the other conferences in football, tweeting:

"Look, we know that in the future P3 that the #Big12 can't compete with the #B1G and #SEC straight up in football money, but can corner the market in basketball and still have damned good football. The B12 will not only survive, but thrive. 🏀 🏈"

While there were talks around this time last year that the conference could fall apart, it has seemingly solidified its status as a top-three NCAA conference. The Pac-12 has already broken down as only four of its teams remain, while Swaim recently predicted that the ACC could follow a similar path, tweeting:

"We just watched the end of the #Pac12 by self-inflicted wounds and I believe we're seeing the same thing from the #ACC. We told you 48 hours ago this addition of #Stanford, #CalBears and #SMU made zero sense...and it still doesn't. #FSU and others getting out soon...stay tuned!!"

Check out Greg Swaim's tweet regarding the potential collapse below:

How has conference realignment affected the Big 12?

The Big 12 has been among the conferences most affected by realignment. Initially, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns announced that they would leave for the SEC in 2024. Their departure led many to believe that a mass exodus could be on the horizon.

Instead, conference officials responded by making moves to strengthen the conference. The BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars and UCF Knights were all added to the Big 12 ahead of the 2023 season, bringing the total numbers of teams to 14.

While it appeared that number would drop to 12 next season, the conference has continued to expand, poaching four programs from the Pac-12. The Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes have all announced their intentions to join the Big 12 after Pac-12 officials were unable to secure a long-term media rights deal.