Big 12’s experience in conference realignment provided advantage over Pac-12

As far as the Big 12 is concerned, the conference should feel like it has a big advantage over the Pac-12, according to On3’s Andy Staples.

Staples and co-host Jesse Simonton broke down the latest with college football realignment on Andy Staples On3. In that conversation, the Big 12 presidents were ready while the Pac-12 leaders sat around and, essentially, waited for things to happen.

With Colorado off to the Big 12 next year another rumored wave coming, things could get ugly for the Pac-12.

“All of those presidents for the most part have been through all of this before,” Staples said. “And I think that’s the difference between the Big 12 and the Pac-12 is the presidents in the Big 12 have dealt with all of this. They have lost, they have had to pick up schools, they have lost more schools, had to pick up more.

“Like they know how the order of operations work, and they also know how aggressive you have to be. And I said this the other day, the Big 12 knew it was in a killer be killed situation. I don’t know the Pac-12 knew that until last week.”

Simonton added, particularly after he wrote about it, mentioned how losing Colorado ultimately backfired on a sleep Pac-12.

“I would say we know that the Pac-12 didn’t think that,” Simonton said, “Kliavkoff has done his best, you know, homage to Larry Scott because he’s had his head in the sand, seemingly on everything … Their presidents seem to be also kind of stuck in quicksand, because they have been slow to react to a multitude of issues in and around this sport. 

“I mean, from the fact that he literally went on record Friday, last Friday, and said, not worried. And the kicker was we have bigger fish to fry …  Well, you just lost maybe your worst member or worse football team and your conference still might be cooked because it doesn’t look like as we can explain, it doesn’t look like the Mountain West. San Diego State can’t go now.”

San Diego State is an interesting point in regards to the Pac-12. The school originally had a plan to join, but since it remained in the Mountain West, the Aztecs can’t join until 2025 without heavy financial penalties.

“San Diego State because you could get San Diego State two years from now,” Staples said about a Pac-12 target. “From a competitive standpoint, (San Diego State) is superior to Colorado in the revenue sports … The coach Prime thing does change things a little bit but San Diego State basketball is fantastic. The Pac 12 actually needs that as much as anything else.”