Will Expansion Big 12 KILL the ACC, Did it Kill the Pac-12? Brett Yormark's Hunger to Steal Teams

Locked On Big 12 | Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast

The decline of the Pac-12 Conference and the concurrent rise of the Big 12 has sparked significant debate about whether the Big 12 played a pivotal role in the demise of the Pac-12. The Pac-12's struggles can be attributed to a combination of factors, including financial mismanagement, poor leadership, and a failure to secure lucrative media rights deals. However, the Big 12's aggressive expansion and strategic maneuvers certainly contributed to the weakening of the Pac-12.

In recent years, the Pac-12 faced significant challenges, such as declining viewership, lower revenue compared to other Power Five conferences, and internal dissatisfaction among its member schools. The conference's inability to secure a competitive media rights deal exacerbated these issues, leaving schools financially disadvantaged. In contrast, the Big 12, under the leadership of Commissioner Brett Yormark, took proactive steps to stabilize and grow its conference. Following the departures of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, the Big 12 swiftly added competitive programs like BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. This strategic expansion not only bolstered the Big 12’s athletic profile but also enhanced its appeal to media partners.

The tipping point came when the Big 12 successfully courted several Pac-12 schools amid growing uncertainty about the Pac-12's future. The addition of schools like Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah to the Big 12 was a significant blow to the Pac-12, effectively stripping it of key members and further destabilizing the conference. These moves were driven by the desire for greater financial stability, competitive opportunities, and media exposure, all of which the Big 12 could offer more reliably than the Pac-12 at the time.

While it would be an oversimplification to say that the Big 12 single-handedly killed the Pac-12, it is undeniable that the Big 12's strategic decisions and timely expansion significantly accelerated the Pac-12's decline. The shifting landscape of college athletics, marked by aggressive realignment and fierce competition for media dollars, ultimately left the Pac-12 vulnerable, and the Big 12 capitalized on these vulnerabilities to secure its position as a leading conference in college sports.

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