The winds of change are blowing fiercely in school athletics, and so they present no signal of quieting down anytime quickly.
The newest indication of additional convention realignment comes from new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who not too long ago declared that his league was “open for business” in regard to growth.
Yormark visited the University of Cincinnati on Wednesday and reaffirmed his curiosity in rising the convention, according to Justin Williams of The Athletic.
“Obviously going out West is where I would like to go,” Yormark mentioned, per Williams. “Entering that fourth time zone. A program that has national recognition. One that competes at the highest level in basketball and football, stands for the right things, is a good cultural fit.”
That feels like a shot throughout the bow of the Pac-12, a convention already reeling from the current defection of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten.
The Big 12 discovered final yr that it could be shedding flagship members Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. The Sooners and Longhorns are slated to depart the Big 12 by 2025, however Yormark has expressed willingness to permit them to depart sooner.
In response to Oklahoma and Texas leaving, the league responded by plucking Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston from the American Athletic Conference and including unbiased Brigham Young. Those 4 faculties will be a part of the Big 12 in 2023.
The Big 12 has lengthy been solely based mostly within the Central Time Zone. That adjustments subsequent yr, with UCF and Cincinnati bringing the league’s banner into the Eastern Time Zone, and BYU extending its boundary into the Mountain Time Zone. Now, Yormark is contemplating the Pacific Time Zone and a nationwide footprint.
It has been reported that as many as six Pac-12 faculties—Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Washington—are drawing curiosity from the Big 12, and Wednesday’s feedback from Yormark solely serves to amplify that noise.
More CFB Coverage:
• Ed Orgeron Sends Clear Message About His Time, Exit at LSU
• Former Baylor, Kentucky Football Coach Guy Morriss Dies
• Steve Sarkisian Says Nick Saban ‘Saved My Career’
story by The Texas Tribune (*12*)