Big 12 Expanding: Adds Arizona, Arizona St. and Utah

The world of college football continues to change hour by hour or minute by minute. After the Big 10 added Oregon and Washington earlier in the day, the Big 12 made a reactionary move sending invitations to Arizona, Arizona St, and Utah. All three schools have accepted invitations after Colorado rejoined the conference last week.

Big 12 Conference Adds Arizona, Arizona State and Utah pic.twitter.com/Or4ypfW7d8

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 5, 2023

All the conference realignments between the Big 10, Big 12, and Pac-12 will begin in the 2024-25 season. The results see the Pac-12 has four remaining schools, with the Big 10 going up to 18 teams while the Big 12 going to 16 teams.

Sources: The Big 12's presidents and chancellors voted unanimously Friday night to admit Arizona State and Utah. They did the same last night for Arizona. All three at on the way, pending a Board of Trustees vote in Utah to formalize their move.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 5, 2023

“The conference is gaining 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,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement Friday.

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As written on Full Press Coverage earlier, the Pac-12 was close to a new media rights deal. There was talk of Oregon and Washington staying in the conference. Maybe even stability as the conference was hanging on by a thread. But when a new Grant of Rights deal could not be reached, the Ducks and Huskies re-engaged in talks with the Big 10.

Once the Ducks and Huskies were voted into the Big 10, the rest of the teams had no choice but to leave. As much as the Pac-12 wanted to survive as a conference, they could not with four of their top schools leaving to join the Big 10.

Considering the shares of the pie, around $31.7 million per year, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona St, and Utah are receiving from the Big 12 and ESPN, you have to wonder how a new TV rights deal for the Pac-12 could not be reached with all those remaining teams.

Meanwhile, the Big 10 gets Oregon and Washington on the cheap as both schools will receive half shares around $42 million with the number going up to around $50 million a year. All these schools will be compensated nicely over the lifetime of these deals.

A once proud Pac-12 conference is left with just Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, and Washington State.

“Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition and rivalries of the Conference of Champions,” the Pac-12 said in a statement Friday. “We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities.”

The Pac-12 was left in the dark because they could not land a big-time TV media rights deal. Now the conference is on life support and will be gone as the landscape of college football continues to change.