NCAA Basketball: 3 takeaways from Colorado leaving Pac-12 for the Big 12

Where does the Big 12 Conference go from here?

New commissioner Brett Yormark wasn’t playing when he declared the Big 12 open for business. At one point, the conference was at risk of being poached by the Pac-12 and others after the news of Oklahoma and Texas both leaving. Instead, it’s been a 180, with the Pac-12 at the league’s mercy.

So assuming that Colorado is completely official, that brings the membership total in the Big 12 to 13 teams once the Longhorns and Sooners depart. So the expectation will be that some other program decides to join in the coming weeks. In fact, there’s a rumored team that could announce soon right after the Buffaloes.

There are several potential options based on past reports. In the Pac-12 alone, both of the Arizona schools are in play, as well as Utah to potentially return as well since they were together with Colorado in leaving 14 years ago. Oregon and Washington are the two biggest names left in the league but they could be holding out on a future Big Ten Conference invite.

Among the other programs that have been courted include Gonzaga, UConn, Memphis, and South Florida. The Huskies have garnered the most steam as of late so keep an eye out on them. But one thing is for certain, the Big 12 isn’t done with realignment yet.