Greg McElroy predicts Colorado will join Big 12 by 2026

Brett Yormark has been honest about his desire to expand in the Big 12. Specific programs have not been mentioned by the commissioner but the likes of Gonzaga and UConn — for basketball purposes — have been thrown around. If you ask ESPN’s Greg McElroy, we need to start discussing the Colorado Buffaloes as well.

McElroy said if he was a betting man, especially if it was our money, he would wager on Colorado being in the Big 12 by the 2026 season. That would mark just a 15-year stint in the Pac-12 before heading back to a conference they were a founding member of. Others out West could join the Buffaloes by then too.

“I think Colorado is already going,” McElroy said. “That’s not sourced, I’m not saying it’s done. I’m just saying right now if you told me ‘Greg, bet $100… where will Colorado be playing football in 2026?’ I say the Big 12. I would say the same for Arizona. Who knows, there may be more.”

As mentioned, Colorado has plenty of familiarity with the Big 12. From 1996-2011, they were a founding member and won four Big 12 North championships (took down Texas in the 2001 Big 12 Championship game) in football.

When conference realignment was taking place over a decade ago, Colorado was one of the first to jump the Big 12 ship. Nebraska joined in the same season before Missouri and Texas A&M were a year late.

If Colorado were to return to the Big 12, it would be a new-look conference. BYU would likely be a regional rivalry while there would be some familiarity elsewhere. As McElroy mentioned, a few previous Pac-12 members could make the jump over to fully integrate the conference.

Yormark commented on the Buffaloes recently at Big 12 Media Days, talking about the brand the program has built up. Once head coach Deion Sanders was hired, everything in Boulder was transformed. Suddenly, they were one of the most popular topics in all of college football.

“They know brand. I’m a brand guy,” Yormark said, via BuffZone’s Brian Howell. “I think they’ve done an incredible job if you look at kind of how they’re elevating and amplifying their brand and engaging with their fans. They’ve done a wonderful job. So I wish them well.”

With the Pac-12 media rights in limbo, seeing a future for the conference is a tough one. McElroy sees Colorado jumping off a shift early once again and making a move back to the Big 12.