The Colorado Buffaloes are returning to a familiar home.
After 12 years as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, the Colorado board of regents unanimously voted on Thursday to re-join the Big 12 Conference at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
Conversations between the Big 12 and other schools have been well documented ever since Oklahoma and Texas opted to join the SEC (they have one year left in the Big 12), and Colorado — a longtime member of the Big 8 and Big 12 — made sense as a natural fit. With the Pac-12 losing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten and remaining schools growing impatient about a new TV deal for the conference, the Pac-12 has never looked less stable.
On the flip side, the addition of Colorado would bring the Big 12 to 13 members in 2024, so it seems likely that we haven’t seen the last of Big 12 expansion.
Here are some schools that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark would be wise to go after next.
6. UConn
If the Big 12 isn’t set on adding another Power 5 school, then UConn is a solid option.
Yormark has reportedly favored UConn more than the rest of the Big 12 membership. But the reigning men’s basketball champions would obviously make the Big 12 an absolute gauntlet of a league for hoops.
The football program is underwhelming, and it’s an odd geographic fit. But overall, the Big 12 could do a lot worse than UConn.
5. Utah
The Utes are coming off a trip to the Rose Bowl and have been among the most consistent football programs in the Pac-12 in recent years. Utah would also present newly added BYU with a natural rival and geographic partner.
But does the Big 12 really want to double down on the Utah footprint when it already has BYU coming onboard? That’s questionable. Utah could very well be an option for the Big 12, but there are a few schools ahead of them.
4. Arizona State
Any conference would be thrilled to have one of the largest schools in the country that also happens to be situated in a top-5 market. ASU certainly fits that bill.
While ASU has struggled in football recently and has been inconsistent in basketball, it’s easy to imagine the Big 12 having genuine interest in adding the Sun Devils to the conference. The academics have been on the rise in Tempe for years now, and in June, Arizona State was added into the prestigious Association of American Universities. Once Texas departs the conference, Colorado and Kansas would be the Big 12’s only AAU members.
3. Arizona
Arizona has similar offerings to that of Arizona State. It is located in Tucson — a much smaller market than Phoenix — but much of their alumni base lives in the Phoenix area. Like ASU, Arizona is an AAU member. It also has an elite basketball program.
The Big 12 has reportedly favored Arizona, and school president Robert Robbins has said that Arizona and Arizona State could find themselves in different conferences. The preference, though, would be for the two longtime rivals to stick together. Via Yahoo! Sports:
“We don’t have to do the same thing,” he said, “but [ASU] president [Michael] Crow and I are very tight. I think it’d be unlikely that we’d be split up.”
2. Washington
There was a time when Washington was seen as a likely target for Big Ten expansion after USC and UCLA made the shocking decision to leave the Pac-12. But the Big Ten hasn’t indicated any plans to add teams beyond the Trojans and Bruins.
So, if Washington is available for the taking, the Big 12 really should go for it. Like ASU, Arizona and Utah, Washington is an AAU member with highly regarded academics. They’re consistently competitive in football and offer the Big 12 a chance to break into the Pacific Northwest. Travel would be a challenge, particularly for Central Florida. But we’ve learned that geography hasn’t deterred expansion at all with recent moves.
1. Oregon
If the Big Ten isn’t going after Oregon (or Washington), then Oregon president John Karl Scholz should be Yormark’s next call. Oregon offers an elite football program, the exposure from Nike, AAU membership and another strong presence in the Pacific Northwest.
Even if the Ducks are a longshot, the Big 12 would be smart to at least explore the possibility.
