Colorado football ‘already going’ to Big 12, says SEC analyst

Colorado football is “already going” to the Big 12 the next time conference realignment hits college football’s Power Five conferences according to SEC analyst, WJOX-FM radio host, and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.

“I think Colorado is already going,” McElroy said of CU to the Big 12 (h/t On3). “That’s not sourced, I’m not saying it’s done. I’m just saying right now if you told me ‘Greg, bet $100… where will Colorado be playing football in 2026?’ I say the Big 12. I would say the same for Arizona. Who knows, there may be more.” McElroy’s prediction follows a strong endorsement of how the Buffaloes have been run in recent years from Big 12 commissioner Bret Yormark.

“They know brand. I’m a brand guy,” Yormark said, via BuffZone’s Brian Howell. “I think they’ve done an incredible job if you look at kind of how they’re elevating and amplifying their brand and engaging with their fans. They’ve done a wonderful job. So I wish them well.”

Colorado football could be one of two additions to Big 12 Brett Yormark is looking for

It’s possible that Colorado football is one of the two programs the Big 12 conference is desperately trying to add to its ranks; this is after UCF, Cincinnati, BYU, and Houston were added to the conference ahead of the 2023 season. Yormark said he’d be disappointed if the conference didn’t get those two schools (h/t On3).

“I would say if in two years we have not solidified ourselves at 14, I would be a little disappointed,” Yormark prefaced before saying, “Just because I’m so bullish on our conference. I think there is really opportunity and possibility out there for us. I love the 12. I think we have great makeup right now, especially with the four new members and the continuing eight. But two years from now, I’d like to see us kind of look at things a little differently and maybe look a little differently. And hopefully, that happens. And if that doesn’t happen, it is okay. But I’d say I guess I’d be slightly disappointed.”

If Deion Sanders stays in Boulder and develops as quickly as Jackson State did in the SWAC — a mighty fine ask of a perennial Pac-12 bottom-feeder, admittedly –, then CU could make for a valuable Big 12 addition some day soon.