Utah reportedly to join Pac-10 as conference's 12th member
The Pac-10 has invited the Utah Utes to become the newest member of the future Pac-12, and sources are reporting that Utah will happily accept. Utah officals are holding a press conference tomorrow and Pac-10 officials will be in attendance. If you are a member of the Ute Nation this is undoubtedly great news. This move makes Utah an instant player in the BCS picture and gives the program national exposure. This bodes well for program revenue and recruiting, something that Utah struggled to maintain in the Mountain West Conference.
However, for the Pac-10, one has to think that commissioner Larry Scott and his colleagues at the Pac-10 offices in Northern California are kicking themselves over what could have been. Speculation was at a fever pitch earlier this week with rumors that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma were defecting and becoming part of a new and improved Pac-10. Big 12 commissioner Dan Bebee orchestrated the perfect two-minute drill and gave the Big 12 a reprieve by keeping the remaining conference schools in tact.
It’s still far too early to know if the Pac-10 really gained anything from this expansion (Colorado also joined the Pac-10 last Thursday) other than the Denver/Salt Lake City media markets and a new conference championship game. Denver boasts the nation’s 19th largest media market and Salt Lake City is 31st. While this invitation for Utah is historic, to outsiders the Utes are reminiscent of that quiet glee club girl you asked to the senior prom only after the head varsity cheerleader (Texas) spurned your advances. Either way, enjoy the move Utah, you have earned it.
