Report: Gonzaga 'long-shot' to join Big 12 conference in near future

CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported push back from some Big 12 presidents regarding Gonzaga's inclusion

After reports surfaced that the Big 12 and Gonzaga resumed high-level talks on Monday, a new wrinkle in the latest conference realignment rumors indicates that the Bulldogs might have to wait longer than anticipated before receiving the green light from league officials.

CBS Sports senior college basketball analyst Matt Norlander reported via Twitter that it is "a long shot" that Big 12 presidents vote in favor of adding Gonzaga in the near future. Conference commissioner Brett Yormark reportedly pushed for the Bulldogs to join the league as soon as the 2024-25 season, though Norlander's sources indicated that there's more to sort out before rushing into a decision.

Atop the list of concerns is money. The Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado, though the additions have yet to be factored into the league's media rights deal with ESPN and FOX. Last fall, the Big 12 inked a $2.28 billion TV deal with the two sports media giants, which would increase the media-only revenue payout per school from $22 million to $31.7 million annually.

The deal accounted for BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston joining the conference in 2023-24, but it will have to be ironed out again since the recent wave of realignment  

Gonzaga received a $15 million annual evaluation from its consultants at Navigate, a Chicago-based consulting firm, over the summer. Navigate ranked the men's basketball program fifth in the country in "TV Power," a metric used to compare the Bulldogs' regular season success against its Power 5 opponents. The only teams higher on the list are Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas. 

Norlander also reported that the necessary votes needed in favor of Gonzaga's move "doesn't exist right now." If the Big 12 members voted on the decision before June 30, 2024, then the Zags would need nine of the 12 schools approval. If the vote comes after Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado officially join the league on July 1, then 12 of the 16 members would have to approve.

Still, Yormark seems determined in making the Big 12 the biggest basketball powerhouse in the country, backed by the idea of one day creating separate media deals for football and basketball. Only time will tell if his vision comes to fruition.

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