In Photos: BTS of the Colorado Buffaloes' future, Board of Regents meeting that made Big-12 decision reality

The Colorado Buffaloes' fate has been sealed, and they are set to return to the Big 12 starting from the 2024 season. The decision was reached unanimously by the Board of Regents of Colorado University, marking their withdrawal from the Pac-12 and a homecoming to the Big 12, where they were founding members.

The Colorado University Board of Regents as it met

Before the resolution, the Big 12 university presidents had already given their unanimous approval for Colorado's rejoining bid once it's formally submitted. Now, Colorado faces the double task of officially notifying the Pac-12 about their exit and submitting a joining request to the Big 12.

The chancellor of Colorado University, Philip DiStefano, and its athletic director, Rick George released a joint statement reading thus:

“After careful thought and consideration, it was determined that a switch in conference would give CU Boulder the stability, resources, and exposure necessary for long-term future success in a college athletics environment that is constantly evolving. The Big 12’s national reach across three time zones as well as our shared creative vision for the future we feel makes it an excellent fit for CU Boulder, our students, faculty, and alumni. These decisions are never easy and we’ve valued our 12 years as proud members of the Pac-12 Conference. We look forward to achieving new goals while embarking on this exciting next era as members of the Big 12 Conference.”

The Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark reacted to the development by saying “They’re back.” Yormark has continuously reiterated the plans of the Big 12 to embark on further expansion after replacing Texas and Oklahoma with four new programs. Although neither party disclosed the fact that this move was being plotted all along, there were suspicions in the media.

Where Pac-12 stands with the exit of the Colorado Buffaloes

The Colorado Buffaloes publicly reiterated their commitment to remaining in the Pac-12 as it worked on a media rights deal. Pac-12 commissioner, George Kliavkoff expressed confidence at the Pac-12 media day that no other member of the conference is heading towards the exit after USC and UCLA.

He said,

“Our schools are committed to each other and to the Pac-12. We’ll get our media rights deal done. We’ll announce the deal.”

Now with the Colorado Buffaloes on their way out, the dream of a Pac-12 media rights deal becomes more distant than it has ever been.

The effect of USC and UCLA’s scheduled exit in 2024 hasn’t been decisively managed, and now, there’s Colorado’s exit to add to that. There may be no coming back from this for the Pac-12.