The poaching of the Pac-12 Conference continues. According to sources close to the Big 12 Conference and the University of Colorado, the Big 12 presidents and chancellors voted unanimously Wednesday night to accept Colorado as a new member. The move would leave the Pac-12 with nine-schools after UCLA and USC voted to move to the Big 10 beginning in 2024. But wait, the breakout doesn’t end there, the Big 12 says they would also like to add Utah and the Arizona schools to their bulging super conference. That would leave Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, and California in what would have to be called the Pac-6, or would it be Six-Pac? Can you see the beverage companies lining up for that sponsorship? But, don’t worry, new Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff has a plan. A plan that hasn’t been revealed yet because it hinges on the Pac-12’s media rights deal. The Pac-10’s TV contracts with ESPN and Fox expire this year. While other conferences have already secured multi-million dollar TV deals, which has helped them purge other conferences for new members, the Pac-12’s official stance is “the longer we wait, the better the deal.” The Big 12 will have 14 members this upcoming college season; however, Texas and Oklahoma are departing next year for the powerful SEC. A six-pack could be what some Pacific Northwest college sports fans reach for while waiting for to hear about the still to be revealed “Deal,” while the once Power Five member Pac-12 continues to dwindle/slide to a level lower than the Big 10, Big 12, ACC and SEC.
