Big 12 Football: 3 schools that could be added as the PAC-12 realigns

Utah

One of the most obvious expansion candidates in this round of conference realignment for the Big 12 would be the Utah Utes. There are multiple reasons to like the idea of the Big 12 adding Utah from the PAC-12 if the conference winds up fizzling out with the news of USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten by 2024.

Since the Big 12 added the likes of the BYU Cougars, Houston Cougars, UCF Knights, and Cincinnati Bearcats in conference realignment last year, Utah makes a lot of sense to bring on board too. The main point of appeal here would clearly be getting the rivalry between BYU and Utah locked in the Big 12.

As one of the biggest rivalries in all of college sports, the Holy War is something that would garner prominent national TV ratings for the Big 12. It would also bring what would likely be the biggest rivalry in the Big 12 in football into the fold in the near future.

Moreover, Utah also looks like a nice fit in the Big 12 in terms of the consistent football success under longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham. Utah is one of the most consistently successful football programs in the PAC-12 under Whittingham.

Despite not having the same success in recruiting or the same level of resources as other big-time schools in the PAC-12 such as USC and UCLA, Whittingham and the Utes are still able to compete for conference titles year in and year out.

I personally believe Utah would be the most appealing PAC-12 expansion candidate for the Big 12 in this round of realignment. Utah would help to naturally expand the Big 12 geographically while also locking in one of the best rivalries in college sports right here in this conference.