The Big 12 is in “serious” talks with six Pac-12 members, sources told The Athletic. Those schools are Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington, sources said.
It’s unclear how long it would take for the Big 12 to secure a deal on expansion efforts. Sources expressed optimism that new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, hired last week, can pull it off.
The Pac-12, despite losing two flagship schools in USC and UCLA last week, is “not panicked,” a source told The Athletic. One option for the Pac-12 is to form a partnership with the ACC, so both conferences don’t fall too far behind the SEC and Big Ten in terms of annual revenue.
Another factor is what Oregon and Washington might do. A former Pac-12 administrator put it in simple terms Tuesday: Oregon and Washington trump anything the Big 12 can offer.
For more on what’s going on with the Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences, read the full story in the Go Deeper section below.
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)