The Denver Post is reporting that Utah will be joining the Pac-10. While this is not unexpected, what is intriguing is that Colorado AD Mike Bohn seems to have been promised a spot in the Pac-12's South division. Utah has also been given a spot in the South and will become Colorado's regional rival in the conference. Here's the breakdown of divisions:
Pac-12 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal, Stanford
Pac-12 South: Utah, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Arizona, Arizona State
After the jump we have comments from Bohn and some lingering questions about the Pac-12 (championship game?).
Part of the reason Colorado joined the Pac-12 South was because of the number of alumni in Southern California. Apparently it was part of Colorado's conditions for accepting the Pac-10's initial invitation.
Playing in a south division instead of a north with the Bay Area, Oregon and Washington schools was a must for Colorado to accept an invitation. Its largest out-of-state alumni base is in southern California.
"That is a huge boost for us," Bohn said. "The southern division for the University of Colorado provides many opportunities that are keys to reaching our alumni to our recruiting and to enhance media exposure that connects best to the Denver market."
With the Pac-12 all but finalized, Ted Miller asks some lingering questions that should be answered before the conference begins its first season as a twelve-member unit.
- What will be the format of a conference championship game? Will it be played at a neutral site or on the home field of the No. 1 seed?
- When will Colorado and Utah join the conference? It seems there's growing momentum for both to join in 2011-12.
- Will Utah and Colorado add enough juice for the conference to start its own TV network?
- And, finally, when the new TV and media contracts are signed, how much will the per team revenue increase? Can the conference even approach the $17 to $22 million distributed by the SEC and Big Ten?