WICHITA, Kan. — At about this time last year, the Pac-12 and its new commissioner made a decision that transformed the Big 12 from prey to hunter in the world of conference realignment.
When George Kliavkoff announced that his league had no plans to add schools looking for a life boat following the surprising defections of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, the Big 12 went to work. It added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. After ending up on the wrong end of realignment for more than a decade, the league was finally on the offensive.
Will the Big 12 stay aggressive now that the tables have turned? After all, it is suddenly one of the conferences on stable ground with a new commissioner. Will it look to raid the Pac-12 and deliver a knockout blow to that league while it scrambles to move forward without UCLA and USC, who are leaving for the Big Ten? Or will the Big 12 stand down?
Put it another way: Will the Big 12 continue hunting?
That feels like the most important question that new commissioner Brett Yormark must answer as he settles into his new role.
Topics such as scheduling formats, divisions and even the Big 12’s next media rights deal (following the departures of Oklahoma and Texas in 2025) feel secondary at the moment.
Conference realignment was hardly on anyone’s mind when the Big 12 announced Yormark’s hire earlier this month. But things changed quickly when the Big Ten voted to accept UCLA and USC the following day.
The Big 12 has reportedly expressed interest in staying aggressive. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are obvious expansion targets. Some have suggested that the Big 12 has been in “deep discussions” with all four of those schools, plus Oregon and Washington. Others have downplayed that notion.
Whatever happens, at least no Big 12 school has to worry about the future of its conference.
For now, here’s what we know. Iowa athletics director Gary Barta has publicly said that he doesn’t expect the Big Ten to add new teams in the “near future.” School presidents within the SEC have also reportedly decided that they have little interest in expansion for the time being.
The eye of the storm may have arrived, unless the Big 12 is ready to do something bold.
If the Big Ten and SEC truly aren’t accepting new members, that leaves three potential scenarios for the next move in realignment, which could all define Yormark’s early tenure with the Big 12.
1. The Big 12 looks to add Pac-12 schools
This makes sense for both parties. Absorbing more schools with a power-conference background would give the Big 12 strength in numbers. It would also give schools like Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah stable ground in a conference that is a decent geographical fit.
Heck, the Buffaloes used to be in the Big Eight and the Big 12. And BYU and Utah are longtime rivals from the Salt Lake City area.
