It’s not like you’ve got to decide do you jump or go down with the building,” Robbins said. “We’ve still got a year left on the contract. All the political capital he’s gaining in the eyes of his league presidents, chancellors and ADs from pulling off this Colorado move? Conference sources believe that’s where he wants to spend it. If Colorado is the only Pac-12 member coming in, don’t be surprised if Yormark goes all-in on UConn. Getting another Pac-12 school to jump on board would be a triumph, and more basketball-focused Big 12 additions probably belong on the back burner for these next few weeks.īut here’s the thing about Yormark: What he wants to sell his members on is UConn. They know how it feels.Ĭan the Big 12 convince one more Pac-12 school to make a change? We’re about to find out if that’s a real possibility or was purely wishful thinking. These Big 12 schools have gone through it before.

The theory all along was that one school bailing might set off a panic among other Pac-12 members bothered by uncertainty, concerned about the media rights deal and fearful of getting left behind. There was a time when Yormark and Big 12 leadership hoped that landing one Pac-12 member sets off a domino effect, that one gets them two and maybe even four. He hasn’t been shy about acknowledging he prefers a 14-member league moving forward after Oklahoma and Texas exit for the SEC, and conference sources believe 14 is more likely than 16, barring a disaster in the Pac-12.

But at this point, Yormark is not looking to stand pat at 13 members starting in 2024. Colorado regents then met Thursday afternoon and unanimously approved a resolution to join the Big 12. The Big 12 board met again for a conference call Wednesday night and voted unanimously to accept Colorado as a new member for 2024, a person familiar with the Big 12’s discussions confirmed to The Athletic. They all agreed on step one: Go get Colorado. “We have a plan,” Yormark said on June 2.

School of dragons next expansion