How Oklahoma, Texas News Impacts Utah, Pac-12
Jul 26, 2021, 7:21 PM
This is the Pac12 logo in Rice Eccles Stadium before the Utah Utes and Brigham Young Cougars college football game on September 10, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It became official on Monday that Oklahoma and Texas are leaving the Big 12 and is likely headed for the SEC but how does that impact Utah and the Pac-12?
There is a lot to unpack with such massive news as two college football bluebloods are heading to the best conference in the country.
The ripple effect from this could be a positive one or a negative one for Utah and the Pac-12.
Spoiler: Nothing in this story has Utah getting booted from the Pac-12. That’s not happening.
What seismic shift is coming for college football in 2025 with today's announcement?https://t.co/ESOuL4d81A
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 26, 2021
Positive Impact
Having Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 could open up avenues for the Pac-12. Programs including Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU and others could bolt and join the Pac-12 to create a super conference.
That just makes Utah’s resume with games against those programs even better. Especially with wins. Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU are respectable programs that will only make the Pac-12 better. Keep in mind that new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff will listen to other teams looking to join the conference.
Negative Impact
Rumors have been swirling that other conferences including the Big 12 could pursue some Pac-12 teams to join their conference. Linking to programs like USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. If the Pac-12 loses any of those teams, it diminishes the value of the conference as a whole.
Beyond that possibility, this doesn’t have too much of an impact on Utah or the Pac-12 at this point. Obviously, things could change very quickly as we have all seen.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
