Arizona Board of Regents Schedules Special Meeting Tuesday, Pac-12 also Reportedly Meeting

Multiple reports (Brett McMurphy leading the way) have scoped in on Arizona as the most likely next Pac-12 to Big 12 flip, and now meetings are being scheduled.

Arizona’s board of regents called a meeting for Tuesday afternoon, and the Pac-12 is supposed to meet Tuesday morning, according to WildcatAuthority’s Jason Scheer.

This comes less than a week after news breaking of Colorado rejoining the Big 12 from the Pac-12. The Pac-12’s struggles center on not having a media rights deal done after their current deal ends after this upcoming school year. Meanwhile, the Big 12 jumped the Pac-12 in line last fall, getting a deal done early and undercutting the Pac-12’s bargaining power.

Arizona (or any other Pac-12 defector) would make $31.7 million with the Big 12’s media rights package, according to McMurphy. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff is expected to present numbers to his Pac-12 members in Tuesday morning’s meeting, according to Scheer, but Scheer reports that the number is “expected to be as low as $20 million per school.”

“All I keep saying is, you know, we’re just waiting to get a deal,” Arizona president Robert Robbins told Max Olson on Wednesday. “And then everybody has to evaluate the deal on its merits. I’ve been pretty steadfast in that stance.”

Arizona has been in the Pac since the Pac-10 was formed in 1978. Before that, the Wildcats spent 16 years in the WAC. Without Colorado, USC and UCLA heading into the 2024-25 school year, the Pac-12 is already down to eight schools. The Pac-12 announced last week that it would pursue expansion after getting a media rights deal done.

After Colorado’s move, McMurphy reported that the Big 12 was after one to three more schools to fill out its ranks entering the 2024-25 school year. Oklahoma and Texas are set to leave the conference for the SEC after this school year and with the addition of Colorado, that would put the Big 12 at an odd 13 teams.