It appears the Big Ten will have plenty of options should the league want to expand its geographical footprint and add some new members.
On Friday, it was reported that both Kansas and Iowa State have reached out to the league to inquire about joining the conference. Now, there are reports that Oklahoma State has also expressed interest in becoming a new member of the Big Ten.
Dylan Buckingham of KFOR in Oklahoma City is reporting that the Cowboys are being “very proactive about their next conference move” which includes starting a dialogue with the Big Ten. He noted that talks are simply exploratory at this time and that the Big Ten is just one possibility for Oklahoma State.
Here are a pair of tweets from Buckingham on the possibility of Oklahoma State joining the Big Ten:
For #OKState, I can report the Cowboys have been very proactive about their next move conference wise. That includes possibly the Big 10. I'm told the Big 10 has been receptive and is looking into how a partnership could work. The AAU accreditation might not be a deal breaker.
— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) July 24, 2021
Words are getting a little twisted out there. I want to make it clear that the Big 10 is just a possibility for #OKState. One of many. There's nothing imminent and there's no guarantee the Big 10 would welcome OSU in. Talks are simply exploratory at this point.
— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) July 25, 2021
Behind Texas and Oklahoma — who appear certain to be joining the SEC — the Cowboys would be the next best football program from the Big 12. So, in my mind, this would be a nice move for the Big Ten to add another consistently quality program. However, it appears it is still early in the process so we will have to wait and see if anything comes from this.
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