Pacific 10 commissioner Larry Scott is "very seriously" looking at expansion in the next 12 months, and as the Wiz wrote back in 2006, the two universities at the top the league's list are likely to be Colorado and Utah.
"Realistically, if we are going to consider this in the foreseeable future, it really is in the next 12 months,'' Scott said during a conference call Tuesday to discuss the hiring of Kevin Weiberg as deputy commish.
The reason for the urgency is that the Pac-10's existing TV deals expire in 2012. Scott would like to get expansion completed before finalizing new TV arrangements, which could include the creation of a Pac-10 network.
Adding two teams would allow the Pac-10 to split into two divisions and add a championship game in football.
Colorado and Utah would join the North Division, which would also include Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State.
The South Division would have California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State.
Such an arrangement would preserve rivalries and travel partnerships. It would also secure the Denver and Salt Lake City television markets. Outside of San Diego, Las Vegas and Albuquerque, the league would have representation in every major TV market in the West.
While Scott said no school has been approached about possibly joining the league and that the process is at an early stage, Colorado and Utah best fit the league's academic requirements.
Utah would get the nod over Brigham Young because it is a research institution with a medical school. BYU's religious linkage and refusal to play on Sundays would also be problematic.
Thanks to Image of Sport.
"...Colorado and Utah best fit the league's academic requirements."
The Pac-10 has academic requirements? Who knew?
Posted by: Dave | February 10, 2010 at 05:43 AM
Will some one explain to me why Colorado would be up for this? Drop big money/attention games vs Texas and OU, long Big 8 rivalries with Neb, KU, and even Mizzou? What exactly can the Pac-10 do to get them to bail and travel all the way to the coast for pretty much every single game? And now Utah is their big rival? You can't write about this and not answer this question.
Posted by: Kyle Jahner | February 10, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Seems to me that BYU and Utah would make more sense for the PAC 10. Both teams already have a natural existing rivalry and are located in the West.
Why would Colorado leave and what have they done in any major sport since the early 90S?
I know the Sundays thing and research status could be drawbacks of BYU, but they have strong academics for undergraduates and have a good athletic program with a large fanbase. When Pac 10 presidents look at the potential money, they may be able to look past the drawbacks and see that BYU would probably bring more $ into the conference than any other team.
Posted by: Gregory Busath | February 10, 2010 at 11:12 AM
Colorado and Utah?...the last time I looked, they were located in the Rockies, not the West. If the Pac-10 wants create some real rivalries, it should try to get Nevada, Fresno State or San Diego State. Nevada vs. the Oregons and Washingtons would work...as would Fresno State vs. Stanford and Cal...and San Diego State vs. USC and UCLA would certainly work.
Posted by: bob cuomo | February 10, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Kyle Jahner--Colorado has made googly-eyes towards the Pac-10 since the early 1990s when their program briefly flirted with competence, and the Pac-10 has responded in kind--neither one of them have pulled the trigger yet, as the Pac-10 hasn't been looking to expand until now.
Also, remember that expansion is about TV markets, almost as much as athletic pedigree and academic prowess--that's why Mizzou is supposedly getting play from the Big 10, even though they wouldn't add anything to the Big 10 portfolio for any of the sports they compete in, save for basketball (maybe).
The whole common theme that people should watch for in all these expansion talks is that the schools being desired are Big XII schools:
Colorado and Texas have been talked about in the past jumping to the Pac-10
Nebraska, Kansas, and Mizzou have been discussed as far as schools being picked up by the Big 10, with the emphasis more Mizzou (purely for TV markets) and Nebraska (excellent athletic program except for Men's Basketball, 4th most valuable collegiate athletic football program per Forbes, excellent/rabid national fanbase to drive Big 10 channel subscriptions)
Considering TV deals are up next year and the Big XII is the only conference not actively talking/seeking a better television contract right now...either the Big XII brass is incompetent, they see the inevitable and are waiting for the dust to settle so they can see who is left in the Big XII, or it's a mixture of the two.
Posted by: Matt | February 10, 2010 at 01:00 PM
Probably has something to do with Colorado no longer wanting to be associated with a conference of Junior College equivalent academic reputations (ex Texas).
Posted by: Westy | February 10, 2010 at 03:17 PM
If you look at their rosters, Colorado's recruiting base is west of the Rocky Mountains which makes it a natural fit for the Pac-10.
Posted by: greg6363 | February 10, 2010 at 04:05 PM
how about TCU or Houston
dallas and houston big tv markets
maybe utah and tcu
both teams are good and have been frustated by bcs
Posted by: Don Collicott | February 10, 2010 at 04:14 PM
Considering the Big XII contract is actually better than the Pac Ten's, I dunno if CU would move. Additionally, since Colorado is rated in the upper seventies by US News, seems to me that CU is much more like Nebraska, ISU, KU, MU etc that it is Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Cal.
Colorado is full of stupid kids just like the rest of the Big XII (and half the Pac Ten).
Posted by: meatybob | February 10, 2010 at 07:01 PM