I consider myself a sports history junkie, but was surprised to learn I didn't know a lot of

this.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Big_12_Conference

There's a section about BYU and UNM being invited I had never heard about before:
"The four Southwest Conference schools were not the only candidates the Big Eight considered. After the Big 12 was founded, leaks in 1994 claimed that the conference also had a plan for a 14 team membership in order to secure a larger TV share than the SEC, something some of the conference leadership felt might be vital for its future TV negotiations.[26]

Reports confirmed that Brigham Young University and the University of New Mexico, then in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), were actively considered for Big 12 membership and if the conference should then decide to go to 16 schools, the University of Louisville and the University of Memphis would be favorites to fill those slots.[26] In anticipation of the possibility of expansion to 14 by 1996, the new conference trademarked both "Big 12" and "Big 14".[27] The idea was that BYU and New Mexico would raise the conference footprint to 20% of the nation's TV households while also giving the northern division another football powerhouse in BYU. Articles of the day suggested support for the idea was not uniform among Big 12 schools[26] and many quotes suggested such an expansion discounted the possibility.[which?][citation needed]

UNM's athletic director Rudy Davalos, former athletic director at the University of Houston, questioned the logic of the Big 12 adding UNM. Davalos publicly expressed a commitment to the WAC.[26] Former Baylor President Herbert H. Reynolds speaks of making the case to his board that much of the value of the Big 12 for Baylor arose from the Waco university being the only private school in the conference.[28]

TCU's AD at the time, Frank Windegger was told by colleagues that TCU was discussed as a package deal with BYU, with the idea even going to a vote --- but the expansion vote was narrowly defeated.[29]

Ultimately the conference chose to stay at 12 members. BYU's athletic director Clayne Jensen told the press that while the addition of BYU could likely pay for the Cougars' admission as the conference's 13th member, it appeared no other candidate school made financial sense to allow to become the 14th member.[27]

The greater influence held by the schools in the southern division would later be cited repeatedly as a key component in Nebraska's eventual decision to leave.[citation needed]"

That would have been a game changer for both of those schools. Near misses for both, indeed.

In 1994, BYU was a high-level program in all sports. They would have passed Utah in the local pecking order. And, their honor code would have not been the issue that it is today.

New Mexico might have dragged the bottom of the Big 12, but it would have been a much higher bottom. They were more valuable then than they are today. At this time, Dennis Franchione was rebuilding their football program, and Dave Bliss was coaching basketball (pre-Baylor scandal). Their football program would probably struggle more often than not, even after 27 years of B12 membership. Their basketball program has always been well supported, and would have had consistent levels of success with B12 membership. They are the flagship school in the state, and the main university in a metro area of 1,000,000 people. With B12 membership, we would look at New Mexico in a much different light than we do today.

The decisions not made....

Oh yeah, the old Big XIV idea. I always found it funny the UNM guy was so confused as to why they'd be considered.

I have never heard a combo of BYU/TCU was ever talked about. News to me. Would have been interesting considering those were two of the top three teams in the eventual Mountain West.

New Mexico not pushing hard for XIV was a huge historic mistake.

They have since been reimagined as a G school.

(08-02-2021 04:03 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  New Mexico not pushing hard for XIV was a huge historic mistake.

They have since been reimagined as a G school.

So true. We laugh today at the idea of New Mexico in a P conference, but it really could have happened.