Colorado brings excitement, potential to Big 12

Colorado is back in the Big 12 but what does that mean?

First from a big picture perspective the addition of the Buffaloes is another notch on the belt for the once maligned conference as it looks toward the future.

Colorado was once a member of the Big 12 or but left the league due to concerns over stability only to eventually use stability as the main motivation to return back to their ancestral home just a little over a decade later.

And it’s a major domino to fall in the sense that the league was able to pluck a standing power-five program to add to the overall portfolio of the Big 12.

Commissioner Brett Yormark’s quest to lure at least one of the Pac-12 programs to his league was inevitably successful and gives the Big 12 even more momentum moving forward. The Buffaloes will join the league next summer ahead of the 2024-25 season at $31.7 million, a full share from a media rights perspective, due to the pro-rata clause in the contract with ESPN and FOX.

On the surface it provides even more stability for the once embattled league as the Big 12 has attempted to restructure itself in the wake of Texas and Oklahoma departing. The Big 12 was left for dead after those two major programs left but the league not only didn’t die but has come back stronger after first adding BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston and now the Buffaloes.

Negotiating the media rights deal ahead of the Pac-12 was critical for stability and allowed this to become possible as the Big 12 is secure on the two biggest linear platforms offered through the 2031 season. The six-year extension, which will run from 2025-31, will pay the league more per team than the previous deal despite losing the two biggest properties to another league.

The addition of the Buffaloes brings the league to 13 members overall for next season which could create some minor issues in terms of scheduling if it falls in that direction. But ideally the Big 12 wants to have at least 14-teams as Yormark has made it clear that’s the ideal model for scheduling.

Colorado being the first domino is significant because it adds more instability to the Pac-12 which could lead to another one of those teams electing to make the jump as well. That isn’t a guarantee by any means, but adding the Buffaloes makes it more of a reality than it would ever be without them.

The Buffaloes bring the nation’s No. 16 largest media market and while the on-the-field product has been lacking of late, especially in football, there is optimism for a turnaround with Deion Sanders atop the program and positive momentum building for the Buffaloes in both fan support and recruiting.

As far as how that affects the Mountaineers, the Big 12 isn’t expected to split up into divisions even if a 14th team or more do indeed join the league and you can likely expect a schedule similar to what unfolded this current year with Texas and Oklahoma still in the fold.

Boulder is situated almost 1,500 miles from Morgantown which is going to add another long road trip on the football side of things and even more challenges for basketball and Olympic sports. But the goal is to become a national conference and adding the Buffaloes certainly helps there.

On the football side, it’s another exciting road trip with a nice location and some history there as the two-teams played a home-and-home in 2008 and 2009 when the Mountaineers were members of the Big East Conference and ironically Colorado was with the Big 12.

The Buffaloes have a rich history in the league considering they were either a member of the Big 12 or the Big 8 for over 60-years prior to joining the Pac-12 in 2011. So the familiarity is going to help them with the adjustment back to the league where they’ll play many familiar opponents.

It’s an exciting time for both the Big 12 and Colorado which are now in a marriage that at one time didn’t seem possible after a messy divorce.

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