How the Big 12 landed Colorado and shocked college

• Heather Dinich, ESPN

  • Senior Citizen WriterAug 3, 2023, 01:05 PM ET Close College football reporter
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

On July 21, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff took the phase for media day at a vital time for his conference. USC and UCLA were already on their escape, and Colorado was rumored to be next as the league struggled to complete a TV deal.Kliavkoff informed a room loaded with media members and anybody enjoying that “our schools are dedicated to each other and the Pac-12.”

While Kliavkoff spoke, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was wrapping up a frequently arranged Zoom call with his athletic directors. As he finished an otherwise mundane meeting, he foreshadowed the huge news to come without pointing out any school by name or any information.

“He said, ‘Men, I’m not going to inform you anything,'” a source on the call stated. “‘I’m simply feeling actually excellent about it. If it does not occur next week, then it’s probably not going to take place for a while. But you’ll learn 5 minutes before it happens.’ And that’s basically what took place.”

The near simultaneous unfolding of two greatly various messages from 2 of the most powerful people in college athletics on a sweltering Friday in July was remarkable. 5 days later on, the Big 12 presidents and chancellors held a private call throughout which they voted unanimously to accept Colorado as a member. The next day, on July 27, the Colorado board of regents enacted favor of the relocation in a public videoconference– a speedy formality that lasted less than 16 minutes and put an end to months of speculation about the future house of the Buffaloes.For the 3rd straight summertime, conference realignment has been one of the most significant stories in college athletics– and for the 2nd straight year, the Pac-12 is the league scrambling to pick up the pieces. In 2021, Big 12 co-founders Oklahoma and Texas revealed their intent to sign up with the SEC. In 2022, USC and UCLA chose to join the Huge 10, perhaps a much more stunning move, given the geographical inequality with the Big 10 and the history of the Pac-12’s flagship schools. All of those sweeping modifications integrated with new management and media rights offers contributed to where the Power 5 chain of command sits today– with Colorado leaving the Pac-12 in a precarious position.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Colorado

‘s flirtation with the Huge 12 was one of the worst-kept tricks of the offseason.”Do I think I captured my peers

off guard?” Colorado athletic director Rick George said.”I don’t think so, but that’s a question you need to ask them.”” There was smoke,”one Pac-12 source said.”

Smoke was being shown all over on this offer. So I do not think it’s unexpected. It was quite clear and obvious for a number of months that Colorado was considering this relocation.”It wasn’t always the choice to leave that stunned the Pac-12– it was the timing of it. Numerous sources informed ESPN that on June 30, the Pac-12’s presidents and chancellors voted unanimously– consisting of Colorado– to license Kliavkoff to set July 31 as the due date for all of the league’s bidders on its brand-new media rights offer. Those on the Zoom progressed– and Kliavkoff walked onto the stage in Las Vegas thinking the league would stay undamaged at least till all the bids were in.” Pissed off is the wrong word,” a Pac-12 source with knowledge of the vote stated.” [Pac-12 presidents and chancellors] were livid. Can’t overemphasize the betrayal. “The Huge 12 has been burned before too. “We were on the other end of that barely two years back,”a Huge 12 athletic director stated.”

What we’re attempting to do is simply change our position. You’re either growing and you’re relocating to attempt to best position yourself, or you’re susceptible. For the very first time, the Big 12 is relocating the other direction. If I needed to pick which side of that I ‘d rather be on, I ‘d rather be on this one, for sure.”KLIAVKOFF’S CONFIDENCE IN his conference subscription at media day was strikingly similar to the remarks made by then-Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who in July

2021 likewise stood before members of the media, stating,”a great deal of the inspiration for adjustment is no longer there. “A week later, there was a bombshell report that the Big 12’s biggest brands wanted out.”If you reflect when we lost Oklahoma and Texas, the Pac-12 might have been as aggressive as we were,” a Big 12 source stated. “Texas Tech would have gone to the Pac-12 in 10 seconds if they would have given them a call, and they never did. They had chances long prior to this to take control, and they didn’t.” In August 2021, Kliavkoff and Bowlsby satisfied at a concealed location to go over the possibility of a merger, or some sort of partnership, but it never ever materialized.”They were in the motorist’s seat,”

said Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt.” There was a great deal of speculation about the future of the Huge 12. They were not in a growth state of mind. Place Brett Yormark.

It’s full-tilt forward.” When Yormark was hired after Bowlsby stepped down in 2022, his message called loud and clear.”The Huge 12 is open for organization,” Yormark said in his initial press conference at Big 12 media days in 2015.” We all laughed and chuckled about that,”Hocutt said, “however there’s more behind that declaration

than people comprehended. It hasn’t changed from the day he was revealed as our commissioner.” Yormark wasn’t simply referring to conference realignment. His first top priority was getting the league’s TV deal done. Yormark landed a six-year,$2.2 billion television handle ESPN and Fox that runs through 2031. The Big 12 opened its negotiations early and finished its arrangement prior to the Pac-12, although the Pac-12’s current tv offer ends a year earlier. Although it’s impossible to untangle previous adjustment from what Colorado eventually chose to do, the Pac-12’s slow procedure in negotiating its own media rights deal unquestionably weighed heavily into the procedure.” It’s not like Brett’s been peaceful about hinting and taking a Pac-12 school,”a source stated.”He’s put some stuff out there on function.” Get your favorite live sports, stories and originals with ESPN+, Disney +and Hulu. Upgrade to a Disney Package strategy and begin streaming something for everyone today

! Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades told ESPN the Big 12 was able to turn its position in the national landscape since two things occurred: The conference announced in September 2021 that

it would add Houston, UCF, Cincinnati and BYU, which helped change the story that the league was falling apart, and Yormark had the ability to work out a win-win media rights offer for the league and its media partners prior to going to market– and prior to the Pac-12.” We had no take advantage of since we could not go to the free market, “Rhoades said.”The reality we were able to get that done … for us, goal No. 1 was stability. Goal No. 2 was finances. Make no error, that was the order of

priority. If we don’t get that done, this is an entirely different story. “With the tv deal done, and an early exit prepare for OU and Texas in place– plus the assurances of four new schools joining the league this summer– the Huge 12 decision-makers began a deeper dive into the possibility of adding more groups. They went over UConn, Pac-12 schools, and even the scenario of including Gonzaga for basketball only.At the spring Carnival Top in Scottsdale, Arizona, where several conferences collect yearly for league conferences, agents from Venture provided Big 12 decision-makers with slides of numerous schools, consisting of Arizona and Arizona State, and appraisals of numerous

television scenarios.School officials from Colorado met with Huge 12 authorities at a neutral website in early May, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Colorado had revealed interest and became a legitimate prospect a lot so that athletic directors and administrators at the Carnival Top joked about it over beers at the resort swimming pool after days during which the Huge 12

and Pac-12 convened across the hall from each other.”Colorado was the one that corresponded, “another Big 12 source stated. “It was directly between Brett and Rick George the majority of it throughout the process.” Meanwhile, the Pac-12 media offer stayed sluggish to emerge.”I believe in May was when [it became],’OK, Colorado’s actually anxious and probably the most intriguing,'” a source said.When asked to describe Yormark’s approach behind the scenes, one Big 12 source said, “aggressive, and I’m not apologizing for it. “On June 2, after Huge 12 spring conferences in West Virginia,

Yormark publicly touted the conference as having”a plan”when it comes to expansion. The athletic directors informed Yormark at that conference that if the league was going to add another school, their priority was a Power 5 program. The Big 12’s presidents and chancellors fulfilled after the athletic directors and offered Yormark the approval”

that if Brett might make Colorado happen, he had the approval from the presidents to do it.”” Since then, “another league source stated,”that’s what he’s been working on.”ACCORDING TO BIG 12 sources, there was” a very close circle” that knew Colorado’s intentions about 3 weeks prior to it took place and discussions relied on action about 10 days before the move became official.On July 19, simply 2 days prior to Kliavkoff would speak at media day, Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano told The Denver Post he had actually not had any direct settlements with Yormark or the Big 12. He stated the school’s objective”

is to stay within the Pac-12 and have a media deal turning up soon. That’s our goal. And I think the presidents and chancellors of the Pac-12 are together on that.”They were.On the eve of the Pac-12’s

media day, Kliavkoff met the league’s athletic directors for what was a prolonged, substantive update, according to sources with knowledge of the discussion. Several sources said the Pac-12 presidents respect Kliavkoff, and the athletic directors haven’t been included much in the growth conversation. In Las Vegas, they were told the exact same timeline the university presidents and chancellors had actually all agreed on in June.” Yes, there were warnings, “one Pac-12 source said.” Yes, everyone in America understood they were considering this. But I likewise believe the decision-makers truly thought the word coming out of [Colorado] that they had up until the end of [July] to make that choice, and [Colorado] did it earlier than what they stated they were going to do.”Follow ESPN hiring Total recruiting protection”2024 recruits you need to know”Class rankings “| ESPN 300 “Stories to view”| Latest devotes “Wrapping up the 2023 recruiting cycle “In an exclusive interview with ESPN immediately after his remarks at media day, Kliavkoff indicated DiStefano’s comments in the Post as

the source of his self-confidence. Kliavkoff decreased additional remark for this article. What Kliavkoff didn’t address was DiStefano’s remarks about anticipating an upgrade on the media rights offer on the eve of media day.”You might tell he was putting them on a different timeline openly, “
a Pac-12 source said. “
As soon as he did that, I resembled, ‘Oh they’re gone.
‘”Through a university representative, DiStefano issued the following statement on Aug. 3: “We disagree with the assertions that have actually been mentioned. The primary factor we decided when we did was since it’s in the very best interest of the university, CU athletics, and most significantly, our trainee professional athletes. We anticipate starting our last season in the Pac-12 and are thrilled about our future in the Big 12 start in 2024.” At the conference’s media leading into what would be their final season, Colorado AD George bolted early without remark, additional sustaining the speculation that the university would soon follow him out the door.A week later on, DiStefano appeared on electronic camera in the board of regents’videoconference, sitting next to the school’s athletic director as it was made public that the Big 12 “has actually used admittance to the University of Colorado Stone as part of conference expansion.””I think there’s a misunderstanding at least from some schools that Brett is callous in his pursuit, and I just do not believe it’s that way at all,”said TCU athletic director

Jeremiah Donati.”Brett’s set a vision and a platform for our conference that’s incredibly attractive, candidly, and I believe that’s ultimately why Colorado chose to come back to the Huge 12.”OF ALL THE schools engulfed in all of the speculation, Colorado always made one of the most sense because of its previous ties to the Big 12, where it was a member from 1996 to 2010, and in the Big 8 for 47 years before that. The idea acquired additional traction with the hire of coach Deion Sanders, who

has yet to coach his first game with the Buffaloes however has currently reignited interest in a program that has actually had no bowl wins and just 2 winning football seasons given that joining the Pac-12 in 2011.”Rather frankly, Deion was promoting it, “one Big 12 head coach said.George stated he talked to all of his head coaches about the prospective move, but also acknowledged that playing in the Huge 12 will line up with how Sanders is recruiting. “I will tell you there’s remarkable advantages for remaining in the Big 12 for the direction that Coach Prime is going as it connects to recruiting, “George stated.”Having the ability to play in Orlando versus UCF, where he’s hired very greatly. The state of Texas has always been a top priority for us, and now playing 4 teams in that area. … I tried to consist of all of our coaches in this, and Coach Prime certainly and I had discussions about

this, along with I did with other coaches.

“George, who decreased to comment for this story beyond his public remarks from a July 27 news conference on school, firmly insisted that Colorado’s decision “wasn’t about “any failures by

Kliavkoff or aggravations with an absence of a media rights deal.”George Kliavkoff is doing as excellent a task as he can do, and he works his ass off and works relentlessly for the members of the Pac-12, “George said.”However this decision wasn’t about that. It had to do with this, which’s the Huge 12 Conference and what’s finest for CU and CU sports and our student-athletes, which’s what we made this decision based upon.”Colorado’s departure will accompany completion of the Pac-12’s television deal, which ends after the 2023-24 season, meaning Colorado will not have to pay an exit charge. Colorado is anticipated to sign up with the Huge 12 at a pro rata basis, which is an average of $31.7 million in tv income per year throughout the league’s brand-new offer beginning in 2025.

“Was money a part of it? Definitely,” one Huge 12 athletic director said.”But [George] saw a better direction with the Big 12 than what was occurring in the Pac-12. It was more than simply the money. “George agreed the move was “not just based on money or finances. “”Definitely, earnings and expenditures belong to the formula,” George said.”We have looked at the expense that we will be incurring from team travel in the Big 12, along with the preliminary rebranding. And when we think about the Huge 12 revenue, our company believe it’s a terrific win for the University of Colorado. The revenue was not just from the media deal– and there’s a great deal of speak about that– however from other earnings streams, and our company believe that’s favorable.”Our company believe the benefits far surpass the expenses for the relocation into the Huge 12 Conference, “he included. “Because college sports progress, so do conferences. It’s our duty to put CU in a position of strength for the future.

And as an advertisement, conference realignment is always something that we’re looking

at. I feel highly that today’s choice positions the University of Colorado for several years to come.”The question remains, though, how the move will position everybody else.