Big 12 Officially Announces Arizona, ASU And Utah Have Joined The Conference, Virtually Ending The Pac-12
The Big 12 Conference has all but officially ended the Pac-12.
The slow motion train wreck started recently when the Colorado Buffaloes announced they were jumping ship. That started a rabid, manic week of negotiations, particularly after the Pac-12 member schools were presented with the conference's media rights deal.
With expected annual payments around $20 million, remaining schools would be forced to take a significant discount on their value compared to the Big 10 or other conferences.
Friday morning, the conference seemed to be on the verge of sticking together, but after failing to come to a signed agreement, the situation quickly deteriorated. Oregon and Washington became the first dominoes to fall, with reports breaking that they'd be following USC and UCLA to the Big 10.
Friday evening, though, they officially laid the hammer down on the Pac-12.
"The Big 12 Board of Directors has voted unanimously to admit Arizona State University, University of Arizona and University of Utah to the Big 12 Conference," commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. "We are thrilled to welcome Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12. The conference three premier institutions both academically and athletically, and the entire Big 12 looks forward to working alongside their presidents, athletic directors, student-athletes and administrators."
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 23: A detail view of the Pac-12 logo on the field at Stanford Stadium prior to the 122nd Big Game between the Stanford Cardinal and the California Golden Bears on November 23, 2019 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
Big 12 Takes Advantage Of Pac-12 Incompetence
The Pac-12 Conference really has no one to blame but themselves.
Former commissioner Larry Scott once had an opportunity to add the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners, but declined. He also had an opportunity to partner with ESPN with the failing Pac-12 Network, but declined.
After the Big 12 saw Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC, the Pac-12 had an opportunity to expand by aggressively targeting the remaining schools. They declined that too.
After USC and UCLA announced they would leave, the conference also could have quickly pivoted to ensure survival. Instead, they projected confidence that a new media deal would fix their problems while other conferences circled.
Now, it's functionally dead, with just Washington State, Cal, Stanford and Oregon State stuck in limbo.
It's a momentous day for college football, as the era of superconferences inch ever closer. Seems like Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham nailed his predictions perfectly.