Colorado is planning on leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big 12 conference according to a report from Brett McMurphy of the Action Network. The news of the move comes just 5 days after Pac-12 Media Day on Friday, July 21 where Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders was not in attendance.
Colorado leaving Pac-12 to return to Big 12 in 2024, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. CU will receive full Big 12 share ($31.7M) from ESPN/Fox media deal. Buffs left because of Big 12 stability & Pac-12’s uncertainty, sources said. Announcement Thursdayhttps://t.co/IOo8LWAuTF pic.twitter.com/4Ilq91C0EO
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 26, 2023
During Pac-12 Media Day, Commissioner George Kliavkoff took questions from the media, one of which asked him about whether or not there was still a concern of Pac-12 schools being poached by the Big 12.
“It’s not a concern, our schools are committed to each other and to the Pac-12,” Kliavkoff said on Friday. “We will get our media rights deal done, we will announce the deal and I think the realignment that is going on in college athletics will come to an end for this cycle and then, the truth is, we have got bigger fish to fry. There are incredible opportunities and also challenges in from of college athletics…and we will move past all of the bitter squabbling of the last year…”
Jason Scheer, an Arizona Insider from Wildcat Authority, shared some insight into why Colorado might consider a move back to its prior conference on Sic Em’ 365 radio Wednesday afternoon.
“From what I understand it’s like 99% done,” Scheer said. “I don’t know if Colorado has officially applied to the conference, but the steps we are seeing is basically that they are going to go to the board, ask permission, agree to the move and then the application is pretty much accepted… If you remember from last week the Colorado President [Todd Saliman] said that last Thursday they were going to get numbers presented by George, (Kliavkoff) they had the meeting and there were absolutely no numbers presented. It was at that point that Colorado said that it was time to make a move.”
Why did Colorado finally pull the trigger🦬?
Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) says it came down to Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff not providing real TV deal numbers last week⬇️📺💰 pic.twitter.com/xDoBKWy3fr
— 365 Sports (@365sportsYT) July 26, 2023
Could More Pac-12 Schools Follow Colorado?
“The expectation is that the Pac-12 member school [Colorado] will formally move to request admission to the Big 12, where it was a member from 1996-2010. That request would be accepted… and then the Big 12 hunt would be on for at least one more member to bring aboard.” Sources told SI College Sports insider Pat Forde
The list of the potential additions is short, but sure to further disrupt the remaining members of the Pac-12 conference plans of sticking together. Forde lists Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and UCONN as possible future targets. Those moves might happen sooner rather than later if the Big 12’s deadline of notice is the same for future additions.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports provided an explanation on the timing of the news: “The timing of the impending move — late July — is not coincidence. During discussions with Colorado, Big 12 officials set a deadline for the Buffaloes to make a decision by Tuesday [August 1st].”
So if the Big 12 does look to further pursue other Pac-12 schools, news of other schools making the move might come before that same August 1st deadline.
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