Arizona, Arizona State, Utah Planning on Joining the Big 12 | Report

Just a week after the University of Colorado announced it would be joining the Big 12, the Universities of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah are also planning on joining the conference, pending the Big 12’s formal approval, per Brett McMurphy.

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Arizona, Arizona State and Utah leaving for the Big 12 is a death knell for the Pac-12 conference.

“We have an appetite to be a national conference,” Commissioner Brett Yormark told reporters in July at the conference’s media days.

“If the opportunity presents itself, where there’s something that creates value and aligns well with our goals and objectives, starting with the board, then we’re certainly going to pursue it.”

This move will strengthen the Big 12’s reach on a national scale while further killing the Pac-12 conference, who lost Oregon and Washington to the Big 10 early Friday afternoon.

UA, ASU and Utah will join Colorado as full members of the Big 12 starting in August 2024. It’s been confirmed with 365 Sports that each school will receive a full share of the $31.7 million television deal.

The conference is currently slated to have 16 member institutions for the 2024 football season: Arizona, Arizona State Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah and West Virginia.

Arizona will help strengthen the Big 12’s reputation as the best basketball conference in the country. The Wildcats have gone 61-11 with two NCAA Tournament appearances in two seasons under former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd. 

Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics

Arizona will help strengthen the Big 12’s reputation as the best basketball conference in the country.

Lute Olsen led U of A to four Final Fours and a national championship in 1997, joining Kansas (1952, 1988, 2008, 2022), Baylor (2021) and Oklahoma State (1945, 1946) as the only schools in the Big 12 with a NCAA Championship in men’s basketball.

In football, Arizona has a combined record of 6-18 in two seasons under current coach Jedd Fisch. However, Fisch inherited a rebuild in 2021 and has the program on an upward trajectory.

BU’s lone matchup in football against Arizona was a 20-15 victory in the 1992 Sun Bowl.

Baylor’s current Director of Athletics, Mack Rhoades, holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from the University of Arizona (1993).

Since Herm Edwards took over as head football coach in 2018, Arizona State fielded an underwhelming 28-27 record with just three bowl appearances.

This offseason, ASU Athletic Director Ray Anderson hired Kenny Dillingham to rebuild the Sun Devil’s program after a disappointing 3-9 record in 2022.

USA Today

Kenny Dillingham was hired this offseason to rebuild the Sun Devil’s program after a disappointing 3-9 2022 season.

Dillingham, a 33-year-old first-time head coach, has spent the last five seasons as an offensive coordinator at Memphis (2018), Auburn (2019), Florida State (2020-2021) and Oregon (2022).

Baylor’s only matchup against Arizona State in football was a 34-13 road loss in September of 1990.

In basketball, ASU has reached the NCAA Tournament three times (2018, 2019, 2022) under current head coach Bobby Hurley but has failed to make it past the first round. The Sun Devils have a 141-113 overall record since Hurley took over in 2015.

BU last defeated Arizona State, 75-63, in the “Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament” on November 24, 2021. 

In recent years, Utah’s football program has become a powerhouse under long-time head coach Kyle Whittingham.

The Utes have reached back-to-back Rose Bowls and have won at least eight games in seven of their last eight seasons, excluding 2020.

Arizona Athletics

Utah has reached back-to-back Rose Bowls and is slated to play Baylor at McLane Stadium on September 9.

Baylor’s game against Utah on September 9 at McLane Stadium will now be a future Big 12 matchup.

The “Holy War” between the Utes and the BYU Cougars is one of the most heated rivals in all of college athletics. Moving forward, it will be a marquee Big 12 game each season.

Some notable NFL players from UU include Alex Smith, Eric Weddle, Steve Smith Sr., Jordan Gross and Larry Wilson.

In basketball, the Utes have made the NCAA Tournament just two times (2015, 2016) since joining the Pac-12 from the Mountain West in 2011.