Ketchum: UCF, USF should join Big 12

The Big 12 needs to fire back at the SEC by expanding into Florida.

That's the opinion of Orangebloods.com publisher and Yahoo! Sports radio host Geoff Ketchum, who made the comments during his Friday afternoon show, 'Hit 'em Up.'

Big 12 expansion has been a hot topic this summer ever since Oklahoma President David Boren said they should strive towards becoming a 12-team league again.

Plenty of media scenarios have been bandied about with UCF usually being one of the prominent mentions. In a recent podcast, national college football writers Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel (FOX Sports) said UCF should be at the top of the Big 12's list. ESPN.com's Jake Trotter said similar. ESPN college football writer Joe Schad has also recommended the Big 12 add UCF.

Selling points for UCF have included the strength of the program, Orlando's television market, enrollment size and recruiting base.

Ketchum believes the Big 12 would benefit by not just adding one, but two schools from Florida.

"After looking at yesterday's release of the All-Big 12 teams, I'm convinced more than ever that the Big 12 needs to be a little risky here," Ketchum said. "They need to gamble on greatness... I'm convinced more than ever the Big 12 needs to go to Florida and do to Florida what the SEC has done to Texas (with the addition of Texas A&M). I think you make UCF and USF as the two new programs in the Big 12.

"Elevate them and gamble. It's just like Florida State a couple decades ago, a school that's not a natural blueblood but has done it over time. Miami did the same exact thing. Miami hasn't always been a program of stature, though it has gone down. I think you go to Florida and create a second bed of talent to pool from. I think that's the way the Big 12 gets better.

"Nothing else makes sense to me. Go southeast, young conference. Go into Florida and establish roots. Make the same type of potential assault on that state. Pull in players from that state that the SEC has done in Texas. Outside of that, I don't know where potential greatness comes from. It's a little bit of a gamble, but at the very least you've got roads into Florida."

Listening to @gkketch on @YSportsRadio and he says the Big 12 needs to add University of South Florida and UCF to make 12 teams. Makes sense- Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) July 17, 2015

The addition of USF and UCF to the Big 12 would expand the recruiting territory of every team in the conference- Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) July 17, 2015