Reports: Arizona Wildcats on brink of leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big 12

The University of Arizona is on the verge of joining the Big 12 Conference, according to multiple reports. In a move that has felt almost inevitable in recent days, the UA on Thursday evening inched closer to finalizing its departure from the Pac-12 — a conference it has called home since 1978. Barring something unforeseen, Arizona’s final season in the Pac-12 for all sports would be 2023-24.

The same goes for Colorado, which left for the Big 12 last week, and USC and UCLA, who announced their move to the Big Ten last summer. What would an Arizona, ASU Big 12 move look like? A breakdown of travel, rivalries, more Big 12 officials met Thursday to approve the addition of Arizona as its 14th member, per reports, paving the way for a new era of UA athletics. The Arizona Board of Regents met in closed session Thursday, with the agenda including “possible legal advice and discussion regarding university athletics.

” The participants included UA president Robert C. Robbins and Arizona State president Michael Crow, along with attorneys who aren’t usually part of ABOR proceedings. Initial attempts to reach Robbins and ABOR chair Fred DuVal after Thursday's meeting were unsuccessful.

Robbins said multiple times this year that the figures presented by the Pac-12 for its next media-rights deal would dictate whether the UA stayed or sought something more lucrative. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff finally showed his cards this week, revealing a streaming-centric deal with Apple that fell well short of the $31. 7 million that Arizona can receive annually from the Big 12.

The latter agreement is with ESPN and FOX, providing greater exposure than any streaming outlet could generate. Assuming Arizona doesn’t have a last-minute change of heart, the next question is whether ASU — and Utah — also will switch conferences. Crow’s presence at the ABOR meeting suggests the Sun Devils also are in the mix to join the rapidly expanding Big 12 — and preserve the Territorial Cup rivalry with Arizona.

Meanwhile, Utah — the other of the so-called “Four Corners” schools, along with the UA, ASU and Colorado — also is reportedly considering making the switch. Neither ASU nor Utah has been as aggressive as Arizona in pursuing an escape route from the crumbling Pac-12, but Arizona’s departure would leave the league with just eight members — with two more possibly on the way out. On the heels of scooping up USC and UCLA — the shocking development that sparked this latest round of conference realignment — the Big Ten reportedly is eyeing Oregon and Washington.

The league also could look to add Stanford and Cal, a move that would swell the Big Ten’s ranks to 20. Adding Arizona, ASU and Utah would put the Big 12 at 16 teams, positioning that Brett Yormark’s league as no worse than the No. 3 “super conference” behind the Big Ten and SEC.

If all of the above comes to fruition, Oregon State and Washington State would be left out. Their only viable option likely would be to join the Mountain West, where their chances of winning conference championships would improve but their media revenue would plummet. We will update this story if and when developments dictate.

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