What former Pac-12 schools can look forward to in the Big 12
With both Arizona State and Arizona making their home in the Pac-12 for the memorial past, little attention was probably paid to the neighboring Big 12.
With the rival Sun Devils and Wildcats moving to the Big 12, along with Utah and Colorado, beginning with the 2024-25 school year, it's time to look at the positives. And there are many.
Let's start with the teams who will be in the Big 12 — Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Baylor Bears, BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes, Houston Cougars, Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Tech Red Raiders, UCF Knights, Utah Utes and West Virginia Mountaineers.
What to look forward to in the Big 12
Quality wrestling: While men's basketball is the premier sport in the conference, wrestling is another sport that will benefit greatly from the move. The Pac-12 only had three schools that field wrestling teams in ASU, Oregon State and Stanford, which meant it had to bring in "affiliate" members in Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State Bakersfield.
True college atmospheres: Yes, there are some college towns in Eugene, Corvallis and Boulder. But there were a lot of conference schools that offered little in the way of uniqueness and true college atmospheres. Stanford and Cal were just blah. UCLA and USC are name brands but if they're not winning, people don't show up which is pretty much the same as the market in Tempe. Now we're going to get Stillwater, Oklahoma, Waco and Lubbock, Texas, and Ames, Iowa. A lot of places with cool college environments. Places where that college is the only game in town.
New rivalries: Those are going to take some time to develop. They don't happen in a year or two. It's a matter of two teams at the top of the standings playing quality games against each other with a lot at stake. The more dramatic the finish, the better. We'll check back in on this in 10 or so years.
Big time basketball: Let the competition begin. The Big 12 has long been a top conference when it comes to men's basketball. The new additions make it even better. ASU may have struggled last year, but it has held its own against Big 12 teams. No one will soon forget the two wins Bobby Hurley's teams have had against Kansas, one of those coming at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The better competition will be good too, because it makes ASU have to raise its game. Time will tell if the Sun Devils can do that. On the women's side, the Pac-12 additions will really boost the Big-12's profile.
Competent conference leadership: A lot has been made of the decisions made by previous commissioner Larry Scott that forced the Pac-12 into trouble. George Kliavkoff was given the unenviable task of trying to bring the conference back from the brink, but he ended up pushing it over the edge. He failed to expand when other teams were ripe for the picking and negotiate a new media rights deal.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Big 12 conference offers positives to former Pac-12 schools
