UCF, Tulane ready to join Big 12 if given opportunity

On the same day as Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen subtlety hinted at interest in joining the Big 12, UCF president John Hitt was more upfront with his thoughts on the prospect of switching conferences.

"We ought to be considered very seriously," Hitt said Wednesday, according to Shannon Greene of The Orlando Sentinel. "There ought to be a home for us in the Big 12. Whether there will be or not, we'll see. But we're going to do everything we can to be sure people make whatever decision they make based on good information."

Memphis and UCF are not the only AAC schools that would apparently accept the idea of joining the Big 12, as Tulane's athletic director Troy Dannen also spoke up regarding his school's legitimacy for the opportunity, according to Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.

"We have made over $120 million in capital investments to our athletics facilities over the last several years, and we have a veteran group of coaches on staff who have experienced competitive success at all levels," Dannen said.

"We are prepared to compete with, and against the top institutions in the nation."

The AAC would take a severe hit if one or more of the schools who have expressed interest decide to jump ship for greener pastures. Houston, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Connecticut have also been mentioned as possible candidates.