UNLV, Rice reportedly declare interest to join Big 12

The list of teams that are interested in joining the Big 12 keeps growing.

UNLV and Rice are now also in the mix after making pitches to the conference, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN. The Rebels currently play out of the Mountain West, while the Owls are in Conference USA.

The two programs join Houston, BYU, Memphis, Cincinnati, and 14 others that are hoping to be chosen for expansion.

Rice is located in Houston and would give the conference its fifth team from the state of Texas if it gets picked. UNLV is a bit of a further trip and has only posted one winning season since 2000.