Pete Thamel details how Colorado ended up bound for the Big 12

Seemingly out of nowhere on Wednesday, Colorado was reportedly joining the Big 12. Officials in Boulder are expected to vote on the matter on Thursday, something ESPN’s Pete Thamel called a “formality.” Over a decade after leaving the Big 12 in favor of the Pac-12, the Buffaloes are heading back home.

Thamel explained how Colorado wound up switching conferences, giving a ton of credit to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark. He was able to get a television deal done, pairing the Big 12 with college football’s two biggest broadcast partners.

As for the Pac-12, it’s kind of a mess out West. Colorado heading back East (minus BYU) gives them the assurance that they are in a conference with a television contract moving forward.

“Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark jumped the line,” Thamel said during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show. “The Big 12 had two years remaining on their TV deal, the Pac-12 only has one. He opened up an exclusive negotiation window early and got a deal done. The buzz from the Pac-12 was he settled and he lowered the market. But Brett Yormark got the Big 12 on FOX and ESPN, the two linear networks that most of these conferences want to be on. And they got a solid television contract.

“What they really got was stability and what they really got was some of the final available television windows, which are precious. And then some of the final available money. Everything then went wrong for George Kliavkoff and the Pac-12.”

“Frustration” was the word Thamel used to describe how Colorado felt with the Pac-12. Kliavkoff has not been able to get a television deal into place, leaving everyone in the conference in the dark. The Buffaloes had enough and decided a switch was needed.

“They never waited to see what the deal was,” Thamel said. “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.'”

Colorado will join prior to the 2024 season, sticking with the current theme of conference realignment. The Big 12 has already welcomed in four new schools but will have Texas and Oklahoma heading out the door.

A reunion between the two, even if things are going to look different.