Why is Colorado leaving Pac-12? How Buffaloes' move to the Big-12 strengthens TV deals and broadcasting rights for other member schools

Colorado’s exit from the Pac-12 conference is slowly becoming a reality. According to reports, a return to the Big 12 is the likely scenario for the Buffaloes program. This brings us into a new chapter of the latest college sports expansion and realignment.

The university athletic department held a substantive talk with the Big 12 officials over the past months on the possibility of a realignment. Colorado has chosen to delay its decision until it sees the outcome of the long-awaited new Pac-12 media deal.

The university athletic director stated:

“We’re members of the Pac-12. We’re proud members of the Pac-12, and we’ve got to see where our media rights deal lands and where our conference goes. In a perfect world, we’d love to be in the Pac-12, but we also have to do what’s right for Colorado at the end of the day. We’ll evaluate things as we move forward.”

However, with the waiting game continuing on the Pac-12 television deal, we might be seeing the Buffaloes' program flip to the Big 12. This is widely expected to have an enormous impact on the Big 12, boosting its television and broadcasting rights.

Let's take a look at what the university's realignment could mean for the Big 12 media deal and why it is at the center of the conference expansion.

Colorado's TV impact on the Big 12 Family

The realignment of Colorado to the Big 12 appears to be quite crucial for the future of the conference in terms of television rights. The Big 12 needs to fill up the vacuum left by Texas and Oklahoma with reputable college programs for sustainability.

Texas and Oklahoma have been the two biggest programs in the Big 12 over the years, and their exit is evidently a big loss for the conference. The Longhorns and Sooners programs will be joining the SEC in 2024, which could outrightly have an impact on the future of the Big 12.

While the Big 12 sealed a six-year television deal worth $2.3 billion in October 2022, the conference is pretty much concerned about its distant future. Having no Texas and Oklahoma could reduce its prominence over the next few seasons.

This is where Colorado comes in. The Buffaloes program has maintained prominence in college sports over the years, especially in football and basketball. This will be crucial in sustaining the growth of the conference’s TV deal going forward.

Although, the program’s football team has struggled recently. The Big 12’s interest in the university has been significantly influenced by the high-profile appointment of Deion Sanders to revitalize the Buffaloes' football program.

Mitigating the loss of Texas and Oklahoma with an expansion of the conference seems to be the way forward for the Big 12. While Colorado might not instantly offer the Longhorns and Sooners' presence, it offers a huge promise of playing a crucial role in the conference's future TV deals.