Big 12 football: 4 worthy expansion candidates with UT, OU leaving early
Colorado
Of the PAC-12 football programs that were down throughout the last decade or so, the one that seems to be on the upswing the fastest sits right in Boulder, CO. The Colorado Buffaloes were the doormat of the PAC-12 South for the last half-decade or so.
Colorado had three last-place finishes in the PAC-12 South since the 2017 season. And the program only finished in the top half of the PAC-12 South standings once in that timeframe.
It’s clear that the Buffs needed a change in direction for the football program following the conclusion of the 2022 season. And that’s exactly what Colorado football did by hiring the former Jackson State head coach and legendary NFL cornerback Deion Sanders.
The Hall-of-Famer took Jackson State to the heights of one of the best FCS programs in the country. And he’ll be looking to have Colorado essentially rise from the ashes in the very near future as his time as the Buffs’ head coach begins in 2023.
Moreover, in terms of the viability of Colorado as an expansion candidate now that the football program appears to be headed in the right direction under Sanders, I think this would make a lot more sense now for the Big 12.
Next. 3 early enrollees standing out in winter workouts. dark
As a former member of the Big 12, it’s not completely out of the question to think that Colorado would kick the tires on coming back to this conference after a largely failed tenure in the PAC-12 (at least as far as football performance is concerned). Colorado makes sense from a geographic and marketability perspective for the Big 12.