I think we can all agree that Air Force is a long shot to become a member of the Big 12. The Falcons will be scooped up if other schools turn them down or they want to get back to a 12-team league so that there can be football championship game.
Over at Big 12 Hoops they have a more definitive opinion on Air Force joining the Big 12:
Air Force is a great academic institution. One of the tops in the nation, and we should all respect the commitment the cadets who attend the Academy, but their sports are sub-par, unconventional and simply don't draw attention, even within their own state. If the Big 12 is looking to add teams to increase their numbers, then sure, look at AFA, but we're not the WAC, Sunbelt or C-USA. We're the Big 12, dammit, and if we want to remain a powerhouse conference we need to look at quality over quantity.
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And I don't mean to pick on the flyboys in Colorado Springs. I have gone down there and had fun at an AFA football game, but there is ZERO talk about them in Denver. Zero. When CU bolted for the Pac-12, the conference lost the Mile High City, admitting Air Force won't bring it back.
Because of the conference's prestige, the inclusion of AFA will create a buzz with the local media, but when they are talked about, either on the radio, television on in the papers, it is as an aside after rants on CU and talk about the Colorado State Rams. AFA just doesn't get the publicity needed to warrant inclusion in the conference.
Have to agree with this. Air Force would bring in a fraction of the market that the Colorado Buffaloes had when they were in the Big 12. The excitement would be there initially in the state and there may be some more eye balls when Air Force takes on Texas or Oklahoma in football, but the interest would wane over time because like mentioned above Denver is a Colorado town over any other college team.
Basically, Air Force is a last resort for the Big 12 and if it comes to that then the Big 12 teams may jettison of on their own way to other leagues.
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