College football expansion: Big 12 set to add two teams, per report

Two current Pac-12 members could make a move if the Big 12 can kick off another phase of college football conference realignment

With speculation that college football expansion and conference realignment is set to pick up again soon, it appears that the Big 12 will be the conference that makes the next move, with insiders now pinpointing two teams on the league's horizon.

Colorado and Arizona are the schools planning to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12 Conference, according to a report from The Swaim Show, which notes that although "nothing becomes official until the Pac-12 gets their TV deal finalized," all signs point to the schools making the move.

Which would imply that neither school expects the Pac-12 will get good enough terms when it finally secures a media contract, a process that is yet to yield any official results but which insiders say could be official by the start of the summer.

Where things are now

This is hardly the first word on the speculated mutual interest between Colorado and the Big 12, with major reports from connected insiders confirming the school and conference have been in talks about a potential partnership.

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More: Colorado could join Big 12 "soon"

And: Big 12, Colorado have been talking for months about expansion

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Officials from both Colorado and Arizona have gone on the record saying they are committed members of the Pac-12, but their remarks also seemed to leave open the possibility that their loyalty might hinge on the kind of deal the conference gets for its next media deal.

With no word on how the Pac-12's negotiations are coming, combined with talk that ESPN has backed out as a primary media partner with the league, reports have been flying that Pac-12 members are looking for an escape hatch behind the scenes.

And with the Big 12, which teased its very-public expansion objectives after this year's spring meetings, apparently ready to pounce on whatever may become available.

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Related: Big 12 in talks with West Coast team for realignment

More: East Coast school enters Big 12 zone of interest

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Why the Big 12 wants to expand

The reason for the Big 12's aggressive expansion policy is only too obvious: after college football superpowers Texas and Oklahoma announced a bombshell move to the SEC in time for the 2024 season, the Big 12 responded by adding four new members in time for 2023 — BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF — and the league has been open with its interest in expanding further than that.

So much so that Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff took public issue with the Big 12's apparent incursion into its territory, accusing that league of "trying to destabilize our remaining conference."

Whatever move comes next in the realignment process, and whoever it de-stabilizes, it appears the Big 12 will be leading the charge.

(Swaim)

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