Colorado football is the only Pac-12 school showing interest in a move to the Big 12 — which has shown an interest in picking the bones of the conference following USC and UCLA’s moves to the Big Ten — according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
“The Big 12’s pursuit of Pac-12 schools is real, though many believe that only one school has reciprocated the interest: Colorado,” Dellenger wrote. “Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s courtship of the Buffaloes is alive and well. Their dance will continue, likely until Kliavkoff produces a TV contract that is either good enough to keep CU or bad enough to see it go.” SEC Network analyst Greg McElroy claimed that Colorado football is “already going” to the Big 12 on July 18 and that Arizona could potentially be joining them.
“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.”
Future of Colorado football is unclear based on Pac-12 commissioner’s Media Day statements
Nothing solid about CU’s future in the Pac-12, Big 12, or elsewhere was made clear on July 21 during Pac-12 Media Day. As Dellenger summarized, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff confirmed his awareness of different rumors but failed to actually give clarity on what comes next for the conference’s member schools.
“No, he said, the Pac-12 media deal is not finalized,” Dellenger wrote. “Yes, the Pac-12’s media deal will be a strong one that, he says, has grown stronger the longer the league has waited. No, he’s not concerned about losing any current Pac-12 members. Yes, he is aware of the now year-long narrative about his league, that the Pac-12 is on the way to a collapse.”
In all, Pac-12 Media Day lacked “Prime Time” and a purpose when it was all said and done.