CFB insider drops deadline for Arizona to Big 12 move amid Yormark's attempts to acquire more Pac-12 and ACC schools

Just days after news broke that Colorado was heading to the Big 12, it seems Arizona is next in line to join the conference, according to college sports insider Greg Swaim.

The move is set to happen by August 1, according to Swaim. But it won't end with Arizona. Oregon and Washington are expected to follow suit within the week. Furthermore, FSU will submit the necessary paperwork to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Big 12.

Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark, continually expressed the conference's plans to expand. And the likely candidates have always been Pac-12 and ACC schools. But it is still surprising that four Pac-12 schools may initiate a switch to the Big 12 in the space of a week.

A media rights deal that was expected to hold the Pac-12 together has not materialized yet. With Oregon, Washington, and Arizona all set to leave, the chances of landing the deal grow thinner. The longer it takes, the more schools are likely to bail.

Pac-12 is not the only conference affected by the Big 12's current expansion policy. FSU, one of ACC's most successful football programs, is reportedly joining the Big 12 train as well.

The ACC has been one of the FBS teams with no membership change so far. But with the emerging reports from FSU, the conference may be taking its first hit since the commencement of this conference realignment cycle.

What Arizona to the Big 12 means for its expansionist agenda

Arizona to the Big 12 may be the final balancing of the scale it needs to properly get over the exit of Texas and Oklahoma. The immediate replacements, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF could never be enough to take the place of Texas and Oklahoma. However, their arrival lent the Big 12 the stability it needed to negotiate and secure a new media rights deal in 2022.

With the benefit of that stability, the Big 12 has begun an expansion that will make Texas and Oklahoma's exit seem like a blessing. Pac-12 was in a similar position in 2022 as the Big 12 was in 2021.

While the Big 12 prioritized immediate expansion before working on a media deal, Pac-12 prioritized a media deal above expansion.