Expansion looked to be on pause for the Big 12, but it appears the conference wants to get even bigger.

Last year, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark met with Gonzaga about potentially adding the basketball powerhouse to the already hoops-heavy conference. Then, during this summer’s realignment frenzy, Yormark said he had more discussions with the West Coast Conference mainstay, as well as fellow basketball giant Connecticut.

Those talks never led to a formal offer to join the Big 12, with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah ultimately joining the conference. At that point, Yormark said the Big 12 was done expanding “right now.”

But now, about a month ahead of the college basketball season, the Big 12 has restarted talks with Gonzaga about joining the conference as soon as next year, according to The Messenger. Yormark reportedly made his case for the school in Dallas at last week’s Big 12 meetings.

Fuel To The Fire

Adding Gonzaga would take the Big 12 to 17 basketball members, possibly reviving talks with UConn to get the conference to an even 18 hoops schools. The Huskies are currently independent in football.

UConn won last year’s men’s NCAA Tournament, while the Big 12’s Kansas and Baylor won the previous two men’s titles. 

This year, the conference added 2021 Final Four participant Houston. Arizona has been a top-2 seed in the previous two men’s NCAA tournaments.

Less than a week after FIFA named the host countries for the 2030 World Cup, it’s looking more and more likely that Saudi Arabia could end up winning the right to preside over the 2034 event.

With Spain, Portugal, and Morocco serving as primary hosts in 2030, FIFA is looking for 2034 bids coming from the Asian and Oceania Football Confederations. Saudi Arabia announced its intentions to vie for the tournament last week and officially submitted its bid on Monday.

With an Oct. 31 deadline in place for any other bids, Australia is largely seen as the only potential competitor.

Previously, FIFA has required potential World Cup hosts to have seven existing stadiums that meet its capacity standards. But for 2034, FIFA has lowered that number to four — the exact number of suitable stadiums currently in Saudi Arabia or under construction. That includes a new stadium that will open ahead of the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Cup.

Pulling Out All The Stops

In its efforts to secure the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia previously approached top executives in European soccer to gain support. The Saudis reportedly insist they can host the World Cup in the summer despite the challenge of hot temperatures. The 2022 World Cup in neighboring Qatar was moved out of its traditional summer window to November and December.

A World Cup would continue the nation’s growing interest in soccer. This summer, Saudi Pro League clubs spent nearly $1 billion on bringing new players to the competition during the transfer window.

Formula 1 expansion got another vote of confidence over the weekend from the head of the sport’s governing body.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he was “optimistic” that Michael Andretti’s bid to form an 11th team in F1 would be approved by Formula One Management, which is owned by F1 parent company Liberty Media.

Last week, Andretti’s bid was the only one FIA chose to move forward in the expansion process. The American racing figure would partner with General Motors’ Cadillac brand on the effort. “Saying no to a team which has been approved by the FIA, it’s very hard to say no,” Ben Sulayem said.

If approved, Andretti’s team — which would require a minimum expansion fee of $200 million — wouldn’t launch until at least 2025. 

Too Much Racing?

As Red Bull star Max Verstappen clinched his third straight drivers’ championship on Sunday, the extreme heat at the Qatar Grand Prix raised safety concerns among several drivers who became unwell during the race. Track temperatures during the night race never dropped below 96 degrees. 

The heat-related safety concerns fall in line with Ben Sulayem’s feelings that putting on too many races in general is bad for drivers’ health. As F1 expands to a record 24 races next season — a grand prix on almost half the weekends of the year — the FIA chief said there should be “fewer races” moving forward.