Stu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Memphis Shares Awkward Message After Big 12 Efforts Fail

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 12:09 AM ET

Money can buy a lot of things in life, but we know it cannot buy happiness, and as of Monday, we learned it cannot buy a spot in the Big 12.

The latter is a lesson that the Memphis Tigers learned, as their greatest efforts to join the Big 12 were unsuccessful. According to a report by The Athletic, the Tigers offered to not take any revenue for five years, $200 million in sponsorship deals with notable brands such as FedEx and Lowes and also gave the Big 12 a clause that could kick them out before the television deal rolled around if the conference felt they weren't cutting it.

While it was an admirable effort to make the jump up to the Power4 level for a college football program that has gone 21-5 over the past two seasons, things got a bit weird on social media in the hours after the news broke.

The Tigers' social media page posted the slogan of the American Conference, formerly the American Athletic Conference, with the caption "Proud member of the American Conference."

Proud member of the American Conference Ⓜ️#GoTigersGo | @American_Conf pic.twitter.com/rMHJt3476G
— Memphis Tigers (@TigersAthletics) July 21, 2025

As expected, the post drew a ton of criticism and fans poking fun at the program, which is obviously actively trying to leave the conference for a better one.

Whether or not this is any consolation, the American Conference did revamp its name, logo and became the first conference with a mascot, which is named Soar the Eagle.

While their attempts may seem like a move of desperation, the offering to take no money is exactly how SMU got into the ACC.

So, while it was a no at this time, it could be something that could work down the line.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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