Jason Williams

jwilliams@enquirer.com

Nippert Stadium could receive another major expansion if the University of Cincinnati joins the Big 12 Conference, school President Santa Ono told The Enquirer on Monday.

Ono opened up more about UC's outlook if it were to join the Power 5 Conference a day after The Enquirer reported that he has led efforts to position the school to jump to the Big 12.

"If it happens, we would consider expanding Nippert again ... make the other side taller and bigger," Ono told reporters and editors in a wide-ranging interview. "Then you are in the size range of others."

Inside UC's bid to join the Big 12

UC finished an $86 million renovation of Nippert Stadium before the start of the 2015 football season, adding new state-of-the-art luxury suites, a press box, club seating and a party deck to the west side of the on-campus stadium. The project increased Nippert's capacity to 40,000 seats, which still would make it the smallest stadium in the Big 12.

The university could look to add another deck of seats onto the east side of the stadium to increase capacity to between 50,000 and 55,000. Baylor and TCU currently play in the Big 12's smallest stadiums, both seating 45,000.

Ono did not say where UC could get money to expand Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats also could play some games at Paul Brown Stadium, Ono added.

Doc: Big 12 money would be nice for UC

UC, of course, first would have to receive an invite to the Big 12, which hasn't decided yet whether it will even add anymore schools. Big 12 presidents, chancellors and other league leaders are scheduled to meet in May, when they could make a final decision on expansion.

It's believed a majority of the Big 12's presidents and chancellors are hesitant to add schools to the 10-member conference, because they're not sure it would grow television revenues enough to make expansion worth doing.

Ono reiterated he is confident that UC is an attractive expansion candidate.

"I do know (Big 12 leaders) think extremely highly of the University of Cincinnati," Ono said. "I would not say there was a reason to be optimistic if I didn't feel that way."

As for the basketball facility, Ono said UC is close to raising $25 million – a threshold for moving forward with an $87 million plan to overhaul Fifth Third Arena. He believes that also could help UC's chances of moving to the Big 12.

Editorial: Bring the Big 12 to UC

"We'll soon have one of the best basketball arenas in the country," Ono said.

He added: "I don't think there is any issue with our facilities. There are some upgrades that might have to occur."

The Enquirer on Sunday reported findings from a public records request that showed Ono has been in contact and met with Big 12 leaders over the past 16 months. In one email obtained by The Enquirer, former Kansas State President Jon Wefald suggested to Ono that UC would have to take a "financial haircut" in order to join the Big 12, which K-State and Wefald helped launch in the mid-1990s.

Ono downplayed the notion that UC would have to take a big financial hit. He mentioned that UC could join the Big 12 under a similar financial agreement that TCU and West Virginia had when those schools moved to the conference in 2012.

TCU and West Virginia agreed to a tiered, financial "phase-in" that called for the schools to receive less money than the other Big 12 members over their first four years in the conference. For example, TCU and West Virginia each reportedly received $23 million in league revenues in 2015, some 84 percent of what the other Big 12 schools took home ($25.6 million).

That was up from TCU and West Virginia each receiving a 67 percent share of the league money in 2014. This year, TCU and West Virginia are set to have equal revenue-sharing with all other Big 12 schools.

Despite not making as much money as its rivals, West Virginia still received 4 percent more money in its first year in the Big 12 than it did in its last season in the Big East, according to Forbes.

UC also almost certainly would have to pay an exit fee from the American Athletic Conference. In recent years, Rutgers and Louisville each had to pay around $11 million to leave the league, formerly known as the Big East.

If revenue-sharing were equal, UC would have made around $20 million more last year in the Big 12 than it did in the AAC. Over the long haul, UC would stand to make millions more than it currently does.

"An unqualified yes," Ono said when asked if moving to the Big 12 would be worth it.

In 2015, UC used $27.7 million from its general fund to run its sports programs, and Ono said moving to the Big 12 "would put us in a much stronger position to reduce or eliminate the subsidy that goes to athletics."

Enquirer reporter Sharon Coolidge contributed.