Editor's note: This list was originally compiled and posted in February. Information has been updated to reflect the most recent expansion developments.

Will the Big 12 expand?

While the conference has whittled down potential candidates, Oklahoma president David Boren's recent comments on the issue might have cast some doubt on if expansion will ever happen. But that's not stopping us from breaking down who's still left in the race.

Below are expansion candidates that have been mentioned by members of the media, universities and college football experts. Here are a few things to keep in mind about the schools on this list:

-- Football drives the conversation. Schools might be good in other sports, but football is what determines realignment.

-- Distance matters.

-- The most likely outcome is that the Big 12 adds two schools.

-- SportsDay's Chuck Carlton gave us his best guess on how strongly he feels about each school getting into the Big 12 based on a 1-10 rating scale. A 1 rating means relatively low and a 10 rating means most likely to get in.

-- Schools that have been eliminated (according to CBS) from expansion include: Arkansas State, Boise State, East Carolina, Memphis, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Diego State, Temple and UNLV.

Be sure to vote in our poll at the end of this article about which teams you'd like to see join the Big 12.

Location: U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.

The closest current Big 12 school: Kansas State. U.S. Air Force Academy is 475 miles away from Manhattan, Kan.

Enrollment: 3,952 (2014)

Current conference: Mountain West

2015 record: 8-6

Record past five years: 33-32

Stadium capacity: Falcon Stadium seats 46,692 people.

Pros/Cons: Air Force's inclusion in the Big 12 would likely be as a football-only school, according to CBS Denver's Jim Benemann. Their record over the last five years doesn't exactly set the world on fire, but the team has been improving going 18-9 over the last two years and is off to a 2-0 start this year. They did, however, get annihilated by Cal 55-36 in their bowl game last year. If this school were to be added, it'd be the westernmost school in the conference.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 3

PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 12: Tight shot of a Brigham Young Cougars football helmet shown during their game against the Boise State Broncos at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 12, 2015 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) (Gene Sweeney Jr. / Getty Images)

Location: Provo, Utah

The closest current Big 12 school: Texas Tech. Provo is 872 miles away from Lubbock.

Enrollment: 29,672 (2014)

Current conference: Independent

2015 record: 9-4

Record past five years: 43-22

Stadium capacity: LaVell Edwards Stadium seats 63,725 people.

Pros/Cons: BYU is another candidate that's reportedly been considered as a football-only school to add to the Big 12. Of all the schools on this list, BYU has had more recent success on the football field than most.

While former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has lobbied for the school, the Cougars have bigger issues at hand for their expansion hopes.

Iowa State president Steven Leath said the school is garnering a lot of attention, but not all of is positive. The school's honor code and stance on LGBT issues has caused some "uncomfortable-ness" among Big 12 presidents. Will these issues disqualify them from expansion? It's hard to tell, but they survived the first round of cuts.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 6

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

The closest current Big 12 school: West Virginia. Cincinnati is 304 miles away from Morgantown, W. VA.

Enrollment: 44,251 (2015)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 7-6

Record past five years: 45-20

Stadium capacity: Nippert Stadium seats 40,000 people.

Pros/Cons: Once upon a time Louisville was considered as a Big 12 expansion candidate. Think the conference regrets not adding them?

Cincy's football and basketball teams are competitive, it's relatively close to the rest of the current conference members, and it has a relatively big TV market.

And if stadium size is a concern for football, there are reports that Nippert Stadium could expand if Cincinnati joins the Big 12. The stadium's current capacity would be about 5,000 seats smaller than Baylor's McLane Stadium (seats 45,000 but can expand to 55,000) and TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium. Cincinnati saw a 29-percent increase in attendance after $86 million worth of renovations were done to the stadium.

And who wouldn't like to see Tommy Tuberville -- he who left recruits at a dinner to leave Texas Tech to take the head coaching job at Cincinnati -- face his old squad? Lubbock would be rocking if he ever came back to town.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 8

Location: Fort Collins, Colo.

The closest current Big 12 school: Kansas State. Fort Collins is 548 miles away from Manhattan, Kan.

Enrollment: 32,236 (2015)

Current conference: Mountain West Conference

2015 record: 7-6

Record past five years: 32-32

Stadium capacity: Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium seats 34,400 people.

Pros/Cons: The Rams' new stadium is set to open in 2017. That's the good news. The bad news is the team saw a decrease in attendance with just over 24,000 fans at each home game. Adding Colorado State would give the Big 12 a school in a new state, but would the Big 12 pick the Rams over a school say in Florida or Texas? Two bowl wins since 2002 doesn't help their case, either.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 4

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 03: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners is tackled by a group of Houston Cougars in the first half of their game during the Advocare Texas Kickoff on September 3, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) (Scott Halleran / Getty Images)

Location: Houston

The closest current Big 12 school: Texas. Houston is 145 miles away from Austin.

Enrollment: 42,704 (2015)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 13-1

Record past five years: 47-19

Stadium capacity: TDECU Stadium seats 40,000 people.

Pros/Cons: If you beat 'em, does that mean you get to join 'em?

Houston walloped Oklahoma to start this season and hasn't stopped rolling since (they topped Big 12 expansion hopeful Cincinnati 40-16 as well this season). It doesn't hurt that Texas' president is backing Houston as an expansion candidate. The Cougars also got a $20 million boost from a donor to upgrade it's athletic facilities.

There are some negatives to adding Houston, at least according to some anonymous coaches. Coaches from Kansas, West Virginia and Oklahoma told ESPN that adding Houston to the Big 12 would create a recruiting nightmare. One OU assistant coach even went as far as to say that Houston would become a "thorn in the side" of the conference if added.

There's a reason that they're one of the favorites to be added to the Big 12.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 8

Location: Houston

The closest current Big 12 school: Texas. Rice is 162 miles away from Austin.

Enrollment: 6,621 (2014)

Current conference: Conference USA

2015 record: 5-7

Record past five years: 34-30

Stadium capacity: Rice Stadium seats 70,000 people.

Pros/Cons: Would Rice pose the same alleged recruiting threat as Houston if added to the Big 12? Hard to say. But if the Big 12 is wanting to boost its academics, why not add the Owls?

Chuck Carlton's rating: 3

Southern Methodist senior defensive back Horace Richardson (9) intercepts a pass meant for North Texas sophomore wide receiver Terian Goree (3), Saturday, September 3, 2016, at Apogee Stadium in Denton, Texas. David Minton/DRC (David Minton / DRC)

Location: Dallas

The closest current Big 12 school: TCU. Dallas is 32 miles away from Ft. Worth.

Enrollment: 11,272 (2014)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 2-10

Record past five years: 23-39

Stadium capacity: Gerald J. Ford Stadium seats 32,000 people.

Pros/Cons: This is similar to Houston and Rice. Travel would be easier with SMU, and Chad Morris seems to be turning the football program around. And the Mustangs are already rivals with TCU. So they've got that existing relationship going for them.

But, like with Houston and Rice, SMU's addition to the Big 12 could further complicate the already-existing recruiting wars in Texas.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 3

Location: New Orleans, La.

The closest current Big 12 school: Baylor. New Orleans is 504 miles away from Waco.

Enrollment: 13,449 (2015)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 3-9

Record past five years: 17-45

Stadium capacity: Yulman Stadium seats 30,000 people

Pros/Cons: Raise your hands if you saw Tulane making the first round of cuts. Liars.

Chuck Carlton sums up Tulane's chances perfectly below:

"With all due respect to Tulane, adding the school isn't going to do anything for the Big 12 where it matters most," Carlton said. "Tulane has been to one bowl game since 2002. It doesn't deliver the New Orleans market, which skews heavily to LSU. It's a great academic school but Big 12 schools can partner and work with Tulane now on projects. It's one of those concepts that's better as a theory than in reality."

Chuck Carlton's rating: 3

Location: Storrs, Conn.

The closest current Big 12 school: West Virginia. Storrs is 524 miles away from Morgantown.

Enrollment: 31,119 (2014)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 6-7

Record past five years: 21-40

Stadium capacity: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field seats 40,642 people.

Pros/Cons: Unfortunately for general sports fans, as good as the men's and women's basketball programs are, football drives the conversation. And UConn football hasn't lit the world on fire recently. They haven't finished above .500 in the last five years (the last time they did so was 2010 when they lost in the Fiesta Bowl to Oklahoma 48-20). Their attendance is worse than Kansas', too.

One potential positive note: Adding UConn would give the Big 12 a travel partner with West Virginia. Cincinnati is closer to the Mountaineers, however.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 5

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 10: Fullback Khalid Hill #80 of the Michigan Wolverines scores a touchdown in the first quarter during a college football game against the UCF Knights at Michigan Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) (Dave Reginek / Getty Images)

Location: Orlando, Fla.

The closest current Big 12 school: West Virginia. Orlando is 900 miles away from Morgantown.

Enrollment: 60,767 (2015)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 0-12

Record past five years: 36-28

Stadium capacity: Bright House Networks Stadium seats 44,206 people.

Pros/Cons: UCF struggled mightily in 2015 - from the Knights' 15-14 season-opener loss to 11 additional consecutive deficits. Notably, Big 12 suitors UConn, Houston and Cincinnati each beat UCF by at least 27 points.

Expanding to Florida has both recruiting and TV market upsides for the conference, as the Austin American-Statesman discussed in May. The massive student body could help attendance, though the Knights fan base isn't very passionate losing 20 percent of its fans last season. Going 0-12 will do that to you.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 5

Location: Tampa, Fla.

The closest current Big 12 school: West Virginia. Tampa is 954 miles away from Morgantown.

Enrollment: 48,793 (2015)

Current conference: American Athletic Conference

2015 record: 8-5

Record past five years: 22-39

Stadium capacity: Raymond James Stadium seats 65,890 people.

Pros/Cons: USF could easily turn into UCF as the Big 12 is looking to add a team in Florida. Both have top-20 TV markets despite decreasing attendance numbers at games. And after four years of finishing below the .500 mark, USF turned in an 8-5 campaign last year. Their last bowl win was in 2010.

Chuck Carlton's rating: 5

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A quick summary of all schools:

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