Report: Big 12 to meet with four Pac-12 programs today

Almost immediately after USC and UCLA left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten last week, the question became “What’s next?” Well, a new report could indicate the answer.

The Big 12 is getting ready to meet with Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado — four Pac-12 programs — on Tuesday, according to WildcatAuthority’s Jason Scheer. The meeting comes less than a week after the Pac-12 lost two of its biggest brands, reigniting the conference realignment conversation.

“Sources indicate to WildcatAuthority.com that there is a meeting between members of the Pac-12 and Big 12 that is scheduled for Tuesday,” Scheer wrote Monday. “As of now, the meeting is to discuss Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado joining the Big 12. It is not clear how far down the line the conversations currently are and this is not the first discussion, however, it has been stated that Tuesday is by far the biggest meeting of significance that has taken place.”

The Big 12 has been at the forefront of realignment talks for the last year. Oklahoma and Texas announced their intentions to leave the league for the SEC in July 2021 and the conference moved to add Cincinnati, Houston, UCF and BYU to replace them. The four schools are set to join the conference in July 2023 and Oklahoma and Texas are preparing to join the SEC no later than 2023.

In fact, the Big 12 announced its new commissioner, Brett Yormark, one day before USC and UCLA made their landscape-altering announcements. That’s just one of many changes coming to the league over the next calendar year.

USC and UCLA will join the Big Ten in 2024, giving the Pac-12 two years to figure out how to replace those programs. After the announcement, insiders such as ESPN’s Pete Thamel predicted what could be next for the league as the SEC and Big Ten move ahead of the pack.

“I think you go on the offensive if you’re Brett Yormark,” Thamel said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “I think you try to go get a swath of Colorado or maybe the Arizona schools and you try to build up for your own deal that could be coming. You need to position your league. I really feel like the four schools that the Big 12 added, 10 years from now, could be the best four schools in that league. I mean, Baylor’s had a great recent run and Oklahoma State, obviously, has been a very consistent top-25 program under Mike Gundy.

“But when you look at the markets and you look at the talent that’s available, certainly Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are well-positioned for success. I don’t think today’s a dire day for Brett Yormark by any means, but I think they very quickly have to start having macro discussions so they don’t get left behind.”