"Nothing is imminent" - Brett Yormark recalls Pac-12 snubbing Big 12's business proposal in 2022 and receiving multiple interests

The Pac-12 and the Big 12 were in different situations a little over a year ago when Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark took over. The Pac-12 looked like it was gaining a lot of steam while the Big 12 was struggling for relevancy.

When taking a trip down memory lane, Yormark's remarks at the 2022 Big 12 media day feel interesting as they said the conference was open for business, whether it meant merging or expanding.

"As I said in my opening comments, we're exploring all options and we're open for business," Yormark said. "And optionality is good, and we're vetting all of them. I think it's fair to say I've received a lot of phone calls, a lot of interest. We're exploring those levels of interest. Nothing is imminent."

One potential move for the Big 12 was to merge with the Pac-12 but the Conference of Champions commissioner George Kliavkoff declined the offer. How things change in a short period of time.

What do the Pac-12 and Big 12 currently tell us about college football's future?

The Big 12 and the Pac-12 tell us a lot about the future of collegiate sports, especially college football. The Pac-12 will have four teams – Oregon State, Washington State, California and Stanford – while the Big 12 is expanding and being one of the top leagues.

The Big 12 has some of the nation's best teams, and even if it is done expanding for the time being, it has an outstanding group of teams. The Conference of Champions does not even have a media rights deal in place, and eight of the 12 teams in 2023 are leaving in 2024. The state of these two conferences is going to show the difference between the haves and the have nots.

This could be a little concerning for longtime college football fans as some of the long-standing rivalry games we have grown accustomed to are going to end. There is going to be no loyalty to conferences, and conference realignment will have schools going to the highest bidder instead.

The state of college football is at an all-time high level where media rights deals continue to increase and interest keeps going up. However, that is not always the case as there is a steep drop for the leagues that have hope and conferences that are struggling to find their footing. One thing is for sure: You can never be stagnant right now.