Colorado's Big 12 contract: How much will Buffaloes reportedly make per year?

Colorado's Big 12 contract could be a huge reason they are leaving the Pac-12, but the move is now official. Action Network's Brett McMurphy tweeted that the announcement is expected to come out on Thursday, July 27.

The Colorado Buffaloes are set to make $31.7 million per year from the Big 12 media rights deal as their distribution share. The Big 12's stability and the Pac-12's lack of it is believed to be the reason for Colorado leaving.

This is definitively a major blow to the Pac-12 as the Colorado Buffaloes were viewed by many as a building block towards a new TV rights deal. Colorado's Big 12 contract might be incredible but what does it mean for the conference going forward?

---

Colorado Buffaloes' Big 12 contract: What does it mean for the future of the conference?

Colorado Buffaloes' Big 12 contract tells us a few things but nothing more important than the fact the conference is ready to expand even more. Commissioner Brett Yormark spoke about the possibility of expanding internationally with Big 12 Mexico, which is a definitive building block.

The addition of the Colorado Buffaloes to the conference adds a lot of star power. Having head coach Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, as part of the conference is appealing to sponsors. They also attract more eyeballs as people are invested in the star power of Coach Prime.

Another thing this means is that there will be at least one more program joining the conference. As it stands with Colorado's addition, the Big 12 is at 15 teams, and having an odd number of programs is not a great spot. With the distribution share and eyeballs on a program, very few teams would say no to the offer.

The conference just added the BYU Cougars, Houston Cougars, UCF Knights, and Cincinnati Bearcats ahead of the 2023 college football season. Now, with this news, they will add a familiar face soon. Things are looking great as the Big 12 continues to get closer to the level of the Southeastern Conference as a premier college football conference.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Big 12. Colorado's Big 12 contract shows a lot of belief in a growing conference and Yormark's ability to expand the group. Money and stability are important to any university and that has shown today with the news of the Buffaloes migrating to the Big 12.