Report: 2 more Pac-12 teams already plotting conference exit
Oct 26, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff during Pac-12 Media Day at Pac-12 Network Studios. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The demise of the Pac-12 appears to be accelerating now that Oregon and Washington have signaled their intention to exit.
Arizona State and Utah have already shown interest in potentially moving to the Big 12, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network. The two schools could potentially join Arizona, which already has an invitation to join the conference.
Arizona State & Utah "showing interest" in the Big 12, sources told @ActionNetwork. Arizona has already applied for Big 12 membership, but Big 12 now "exploring its options" following news of Oregon & Washington leaving for Big Ten
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 4, 2023
These moves come shortly after Oregon and Washington signaled their plans to jump to the Big Ten. That would leave the Pac-12 with just seven teams and no viable options for replacing them, which appears to be enough to send the other remaining schools scrambling for a potential exit route.
While the Pac-12 still has 12 members lined up for the 2023 season, that will change quickly. USC and UCLA are headed for the Big Ten in 2024, with Colorado set to join the Big 12 that same year. Only Cal, Stanford, Washington State, and Oregon State do not appear to be presently looking at moving to other leagues, but that probably will not last long unless something drastically changes.
