But the Big 12? The source said that the current iteration of the Big 12 isn’t an obvious yes. Less than a week after the league lost its flagship schools, a Pac-12 source said that the conference is operating with a sense of urgency but is “not panicked.” If one of the remaining Pac-12 schools suddenly got a call from the Big Ten or the SEC, the source said it would be reason enough for the rest to press a panic button. Nicole Auerbach and Vannini How is the Pac-12 responding? “I think a lot of things are possible,” the Big 12 source said. Perhaps that calculation looks a little different in the current college athletic landscape - and a Pac-12 that doesn’t include the L.A. One Big 12 source noted that Colorado was “very skittish” back in 2010 when it fled the Big 12 for the Pac-12, seeking stability as well as the potential exposure/enrollment of the West Coast. The idea of having Iowa State, BYU or Kansas State fans visit more regularly than several current Pac-12 schools could be appealing. It would preserve the Holy War, and while keeping or reigniting rivalries isn’t typically a major driving factor in any move like this, it would be a great byproduct.Ī source at one of the target schools noted that many Pac-12 fans don’t travel well, and the strong fan bases in the Big 12 are another factor that make the conference intriguing. It also makes sense from a scheduling and travel perspective, especially with BYU already in the fold starting in 2023. 30) alongside incoming Big 12 member BYU. 16), and Utah would solidify Salt Lake City (No. Beyond the obvious draw of Oregon and Washington, the Arizona schools would bring the Phoenix media market, the 11th-largest in the country. When any league has a chance to be an aggressor in a round of conference realignment, it usually takes it. Max Olson and Chris Vannini What the Big 12 could gain from adding these particular Pac-12 programs 1, but Yormark is embracing this opportunity to disrupt and knows the Big 12 can’t afford to sit back and watch this latest realignment saga unfold. He wasn’t supposed to officially get to work until Aug. He was strong in his conviction that the Big 12 can thrive in this changing climate and appears to have the right connections to help it happen. Yormark first met his ADs last Friday in a Zoom meeting, and several said he was impressive in his debut. “I’ve talked to some ADs, and we think we’re in a position of strength.” “(Yormark has) talked about making sure we’re going to be aggressive, we’re not going to sit on our hands,” one Big 12 athletic director told The Athletic. The Big 12 would take those first four, but an effort to bring in all six is certainly worth attempting. For both, it likely makes sense to keep their options open and hold out for the possibility of joining the Big Ten or SEC. The aspirations of Oregon and Washington are more difficult to predict right now. It’s also eyeing Utah, the Pac-12’s football champion in 2021, and Colorado, a Big Eight and Big 12 member until 2011. But USC and UCLA bolting to the Big Ten has the Big 12 dreaming bigger. CBS Sports first reported the Big 12 was in discussions about adding multiple Pac-12 schools.Īrizona and Arizona State have long been considered logical fits for the Big 12 if those schools ever had interest in exiting the Pac-12. It’s unclear just how quickly the Big 12 could get a deal done on its expansion efforts, but those sources expressed optimism that Yormark can pull it off. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, hired just last week, has been described as “super aggressive” by one source and has the backing of the Big 12 presidents and chancellors to pursue the addition of Pac-12 members. The league is having “serious” talks with six Pac-12 schools - Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington - and is determined to move quickly, sources told The Athletic.
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