The University of Colorado has found its seat in the current game of musical chairs between colleges and conferences in the NCAA.
After 13 years in the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) and hot off the heels of hiring fan-favorite Coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, the school announced on July 27 it will transition back to the Big 12.
“[This is] a great win for the University of Colorado,” CU Athletic Director Rick George said at a press conference.
It’s not a dramatic break-up, rather a move CU administrators say will bring more stability and recognition to both athletics and the entire school.
The Buffs will finish the upcoming 2023-24 season in the Pac-12 and make the transition at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. Jesse Mahoney, head volleyball coach, says the Pac-12 has been a great home for the volleyball program, but the Big 12 will keep the program moving in a positive direction.
“I’m excited to see what [the Big 12] holds,” Mahoney says. “It’s a Power Five conference with a lot of storied traditions in their sports. We’re gonna go in and look to compete right away, and we’ll play whoever is on the other side of the net.”
The decision, made unanimously by the CU Board of Regents, comes at a time when universities across the nation are engaging in “conference realignment,” as sports experts are calling it. Hallmark schools with rich athletic traditions, like UCLA, University of Texas (UT), University of Oklahoma (OU) and University of Southern California (USC), will all join new conferences by 2024.
Conference hopping is normal for college athletic programs. Admins at CU Boulder say re-joining the Big 12 (which the university withdrew from in 2011) will bring more money to the program and expand the school’s reach to new areas of the country.
“After careful thought and consideration, it was determined that a switch in conference would give CU Boulder the stability, resources and exposure necessary for long-term future success in a college athletics environment that is constantly evolving,” said Chancellor Philip DiStefano and athletic director George in a joint statement. “The Big 12’s national reach across three time zones, as well as our shared creative vision for the future, we feel makes it an excellent fit for CU Boulder, our students, faculty and alumni.”
Money is a significant factor. Last fall, the Big 12 secured a $2.3 billion media rights deal with Fox and ESPN through the 2030-31 athletic season. Teams in the conference, including Colorado when the realignment is finalized, will earn nearly $32 million annually from the networks as part of the deal.
That also means more airtime for the Buffs. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 hasn’t secured a media deal past 2024.
Student-athletes also stand to gain financially. More exposure can mean more money in the hands of collegiate athletes now that the NCAA allows compensation for an athlete’s name, image and likeness (NIL).
But George said the decision is about more than money: Aligning with the Big 12 will be good for student-athletes in numerous way.
“We’ve done our analysis and they’ll be traveling less in the Big 12, playing in more favorable time slots where we believe they can get greater national exposure and return to Boulder after away games at earlier times,” he said at the press conference.
CU isn’t the only school leaving the Pac-12. Last summer, UCLA and USC announced they will shift to the Big Ten in 2024. Both schools were in the Pac-12 for nearly a century.
In response to UT and OU leaving the Big 12 next year, the association added four new members this year — Brigham Young University, University of Cincinnati, University of Houston and the University of Central Florida. When CU joins next year, the Big 12 will have 13 members.
Critics of the conference realignment frenzy say it dismantles college rivalries — a reality Buff fans know well after CU and Nebraska, a rivalry dating back to 1898, split from the Big 12 in 2011. The rivalry between OU and Oklahoma State is another example.
“It’s all about money,” said Michael Veley, professor of sport management at Syracuse University, in an interview with Fortune. “The student-athletes and the fan bases are the victims of this takeover. There’s no regional sensibility anymore.”
Danney Sanchez, head soccer coach at CU, says while the Pac-12 is at the “pinnacle” of women’s soccer at the Division One level, he’s excited to shift to the Big 12 — what he calls a “great soccer conference.”
“As the landscape changes, and we can see everything that’s going on with the conferences, [the administration] made a great decision to go to the Big 12.”
