Report: Big 12 unanimously votes to admit Arizona State, Utah

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Conference Realignment Thoughts with JD

The Big 12 has taken one more step to get Arizona State and Utah into the conference. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the presidents and chancellors voted unanimously to admit both into the league.

The two additions would make four Pac-12 teams to make the jump to the Big 12. Colorado did so last week — a return to the league — and Arizona appears ready to join, as well. The Big 12 unanimously approved the Wildcats’ addition Thursday night. That would take the league to 16 teams after Texas and Oklahoma head to the SEC in 2024.

Shortly after the news broke, Utah’s Board of Regents approved the move, The Inside Zone’s Matt Fortuna reported, meaning the two-time defending Pac-12 champion Utes are also on the move.

Sources: The Big 12's presidents and chancellors voted unanimously Friday night to admit Arizona State and Utah. They did the same last night for Arizona. All three at on the way, pending a Board of Trustees vote in Utah to formalize their move.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 5, 2023

Talks to admit ASU and Utah heated up in recent days after Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff presented a media deal to conference officials earlier this week. On Friday, Oregon and Washington announced their plans to leave for the Big Ten in 2024, as well.

Arizona and Arizona State are both controlled by the same Board of Regents, which met Thursday night. The meeting went into executive session, but no action was announced publicly. Brett Yormark and the Big 12 made a strong push for Arizona shortly after Colorado announced its return, On3’s Eric Prisbell reported. Thursday night, the Big 12 unanimously voted to bring the Wildcats in as the 14th member.

As for the Pac-12, it’s been a rough week. Five teams have made plans to leave the league in the last three days, and that came after Colorado’s departure late last month. That means six teams have planned their departures since Pac-12 Media Day when George Kliavkoff said he wasn’t planning to announce a media rights deal.

Now, only four teams — Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State — are currently set to be part of the Pac-12 in 2024. USC and UCLA were already on their way to the Big Ten in a move announced last summer.

It’s unclear what exactly the future holds for the Pac-12, which still doesn’t have a media rights deal. Conference officials met Friday in what was called a “last-ditch effort” to save the league and sign a grant of rights, but talks fell through. Shortly after, the dominoes began to fall. The Pac-12 still doesn’t have a media rights deal in place and the deal Kliavkoff presented with Apple reportedly was set to expire at the end of the week.