Colorado athletic director Rick George hints at media rights deal as key factor in Big 12 move

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was able to add a 13th long-term team, with Colorado voting to join the conference on Thursday. A huge move in what’s just the latest in conference realignment — the Buffaloes are leaving the Pac-12 after just over a decade out West.

As to why Colorado is making the move, it should come as no surprise. Buffs athletic director Rick George says the Big 12’s media rights agreement played a huge role in moving on from the Pac-12. Yormark has a contract locked in with ESPN and FOX for the foreseeable future.

George sees that as an opportunity for Colorado to grow not just as a football team, but also its potential student body.

“The Big 12 Conference recently signed a media rights agreement extension that will make them partners with the country’s two largest sports media companies, ESPN and FOX, through the 2030-2031 season,” George said. “The national exposure, through linear television and streaming, combined with the Big 12 Conference’s footprint across three time zones, will not only make CU more accessible to alumni and fans nationwide, but introduce the Buffs to countless new potential students and fans.”

The message from George aligns with what ESPN’s Pete Thamel said before the move became official on Thursday. Colorado was “frustrated” with the Pac-12 over their negotiations of a new media rights deal. Nothing was getting done by Commissioner George Kliavkoff.

Instead of waiting around, the officials in Boulder decided to take the safer option. Sure, the Pac-12 may end up securing a better deal down the road. But for now, Colorado is guaranteed safety for the rest of the 2020s.

“They never waited to see what the deal was,” Thamel said during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show. “They were so frustrated, they decided to leave. And I think that’s a really important point. University presidents are risk-averse creatures. They are not people that take risks. It would make perfect fiscal sense to see what Deal A is, see what Deal B is, and then make a choice.

“They ultimately decided, after months of frustration, to say ‘You know what? We feel like long term, we’re going to be better off in the Big 12, no matter what the number looks like in the Pac-12.’”

And so, with financial security for the athletic department, Colorado will dawn a new era with the 2024 football season marking the beginning. Everyone in Boulder seems confident the program’s second stint in the Big 12 will go smoother than the first.