Gary Barnett says Colorado couldn't afford to keep leaving money on the table in Pac-12

The Buffs former coach turned commentator hopeful for the future

Gary Barnett has always been straightforward and honest when it comes to his observations. He comes by it naturally after being around the game of football for a long time. 

The former Colorado Buffaloes football coach, who was with the program as a member of the Big 12, says the move back makes a lot of sense, but especially from a financial perspective. He went on the air with the Buffs' flagship KOA in Denver and explained how CU was losing out. 

"I don't think management on the Pac-12 issues, especially the financial piece of it, turned out to be what (Colorado) hoped it would be," Barnett told Nick Ferguson and Bri Maestas. 

"I don't think they can afford to keep leaving money on the table every year by staying in (the Pac-12) conference. That conference is changing. You've got USC and UCLA heading to the Big Ten. There's all sorts of pressure for Washington and Oregon to make some sort of a similar move. The Pac-12 is just sorta falling down around Colorado right now." 

Colorado’s in a great position moving forward. It was reported that the school would receive at least $31.8 million per year from the Big 12 starting in 2024. 

A far cry from anything the Pac-12 could've scrapped together with no future media deal to speak of. Many rumors have circulated that a potential deal for the Pac-12 was around $23 million per school. Overall, CU has lost about $80 million to date as a member of the Pac-12, according to some projections. 

The Big 12's Presidents unanimously voted to accept Colorado via a conference call on Wednesday night. While the university hasn't submitted an application for membership, it will likely happen on Thursday.