Colorado to the Pac-10; Texas, other Big 12 schools to follow?

Colorado, located in Boulder, Colorado, is the newest member of the Pacific-10 Conference. While the program has hit tough times of late, including a 3-9 season in 2009, the program does have a storied history, including Kordell Stewart’s collegiate career. Financially, the Buffaloes add the Colorado area to the Pac-10’s revenues and gives the Pac-10 most of the major western states.




For a Pac-16 potential plan, assuming all invitations are accepted, Baylor is now out of the mix. Which I’m glad for. Baylor does no add anything to the conference. Academics? Nope. Great tradition or current success? Nope. New TV markets? No. Other then Robert Griffen, Baylor adds nothing exciting. And Griffen will be gone before the Pac-16 begins. Plus, it’s a religious university, which like religion or not, is not something that the Pac-10 is interested in. So I’m glad that Baylor is out for now.



Colorado, as a whole, is a decent addition to the conference. It’s a solid academic university, it has some tradition, and it adds some media markets to the conference. I think their basketball team is up and coming, and their football team has the potential to be something.



This, combined with Nebraska’s soon to be defection to the Big-10, leaves the Big 12 soon to be collapsed. With 10 teams remaining, and one of the most prominent teams nearly gone, it’d be tough to pull together a competent conference. Texas, A&M, and Tech are going together, wherever that may be. The SEC isn’t going to take Texas Tech; it’s been said and the SEC really doesn’t need someone with a lack of prestige like the Red Raiders. That leaves the Pac-10, or them staying in the old Big 12. With the Big 12 fading, you have to figure the logical next move is the Pac-10.



With other expansion plans out of consideration, I still like Colorado as the newest member of the Pac-10. They’d fit well in my preferred version nowadays as a Pac-12. But now it confirms, or it seems to confirm, that the Pac-16 is the next step, like it or hate it. Colorado is merely the first domino to fall.