Colorado leaving Pac-12 for Big 12
By The Associated Press
Colorado is leaving the Pac-12, and the Big 12 is ready to welcome the Buffaloes back to the conference they left a dozen years ago.
Colorado’s board of regents voted 9-0 in a special remote meeting Thursday to approve the conference switch in 2024.
“The landscape of collegiate sports is ever-evolving, and the University of Colorado Boulder has determined the Big 12 is the best future fit for our athletic teams,” school President Todd Saliman said.
“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,” CU Chancellor Philip Distefano said in a joint statement with athletic director Rick George.
“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,” Distefano said, adding, “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.”
While some of the regents expressed disappointment about leaving the Pac-12, they said the shifting sports landscape left CU no option but to rejoin the conference where they were a founding member in 1996.
The Buffs actually joined the Big Six conference in 1947 and remained with the expanded league for 63 years as it eventually grew into the Big 12.
Colorado will join the
Big 12 in 2024 and becomes the third school to leave the Pac-12 in the last year, joining UCLA and USC, which are joining the Big Ten next year.
Big 12 presidents and chancellors voted unanimously Wednesday night to accept Colorado as a new member, clearing the way for the school to leave the Pac-12 and rejoin its former league, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Big 12 was not making its expansion plans public. ESPN first reported the vote.
Colorado still needs to go through a formal process on its campus in Boulder and officially accept membership.
Pac-12 presidents and chancellors, athletic directors and Commissioner George Kliavkoff were scheduled to convene Thursday to discuss the next moves for the conference, two people with knowledge of the meeting told AP on condition of anonymity because the conference is not making its internal moves public.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has spoken about his desire to expand the conference and add schools in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
Colorado’s departure could lead to more defections from the Pac-12, which has seemed vulnerable to more poaching after losing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten and with negotiations for a new media rights contract dragging on. Current deals with ESPN and Fox expire after this school year.
Colorado was an original member of the Big 12 in 1996, and joined the Pac-12 in 2011. The Buffaloes’ football team has had only one winning record over a full season since joining the Pac-12, and went 1-11 last year, leading to the hiring of former
NFL star Deion Sanders.
The Big 12 has 14 members this year, but Texas and Oklahoma are leaving for the SEC next year. A source said the Big 12 would ideally like to expand to 16 schools with Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado all coming over from the Pac-12 to create a Western wing.
Marchand, Mcintosh win gold at worlds
Leon Marchand and Summer Mcintosh picked up big victories at the swimming world championships and showed why they are likely to be stars at next year’s Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old Marchand won his third gold medal of the worlds with a dominating victory in the men’s 200-meter medley. The Frenchman earlier won the 200 butterfly and the 400 medley — where he broke Michael Phelps’ last remaining world mark.
On Thursday, Marchand opened up a lead in the breaststroke leg and maintained it in the freestyle on the way to the finish line. Marchand won in 1:54.82.
The 16-year-old Mcintosh captured her second straight world title in the women’s 200 butterfly. The Canadian took the lead early and maintained it throughout, winning the gold in 2:04.06.
Senators add RW Tarasenko for $5M
The Ottawa Senators signed free-agent right wing Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5 million deal.
A six-time 30-goal scorer, Tarasenko had 18 goals and 32 assists in 69 games last season with the Blues and Rangers.
The 31-year-old Russian played his first 11 NHL seasons with St. Louis, helping the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019. He has 270 goals and 204 assists in 675 career regular-season games and 40 goals and 20 assists in 97 playoff games.
■ The Arizona Coyotes signed 2022 first-round draft pick Logan Cooley to a three-year, entry-level contract, after the center changed his mind about returning to the University of Minnesota for another college season.
The 19-year-old Cooley was the third overall pick last year. The Pittsburgh native led Minnesota in scoring as a freshman with 22 goals and 38 assists in 39 games, helping the Gophers reach the NCAA championship game.
Oregon gives coach Lanning extension
Oregon and football coach Dan Lanning agreed to a contract extension that will extend his deal through the 2028 season.
The contract will pay him a total of $45 million in base salary over six years. There are incentives in the contract that will add an additional year if Oregon wins 10 games at any point of the contract with a max of three years added on.
Lanning led Oregon to a 10-3 record, including a victory in the Holiday Bowl, in his first season in charge.
■ Weeks after luring Liverpool great Steven Gerrard to join as manager, Saudi Arabian soccer club Al-ettifaq signed Jordan Henderson. The England international, who was captain of Liverpool when the club won the Premier League and Champions League titles, is the latest star to head to the oil-rich kingdom. He signed a three-year contract and will reportedly earn $900,000 per week.