Colorado to leave Pac-12 for Big 12, per reports

From staff reports

Colorado is ready to leave the Pac-12.

That’s the word from multiple national reports, which indicate the Buffaloes plan on joining the Big 12 in time for the 2024 season. They will formally apply for Big 12 membership on Thursday, per reports, which is when the school’s announcement is expected.

Colorado is returning to the Big 12, according to Action Network, for a few reasons: The Big 12’s stability, a more lucrative financial scene, the Pac-12’s inability to secure a new Grant of Rights deal and the Pac-12’s current uncertain future.

That last component makes Washington State’s future interesting. Will the Cougars look to leave the Pac-12? Will there even be a Pac-12 to leave? If not, where will WSU turn, and will that be at the Power Five level?

The Cougars have been members since 1962, when the conference was known as the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU). The name soon changed to Pacific-8 Conference, then Pac-8, then Pac-10, and now Pac-12.

What the conference looks like in the months to come will be intriguing to follow – Washington State’s place in the ecosystem included.