Utah To Join The Pac 10?

[AUChizad]

http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top%20stories/story/Utah-to-the-PAC-10-Not-BYU-It-could-happen/gpbSMZcBykqmrzztzmff7Q.cspx

Utah to the PAC 10? Not BYU? It could happen
Reported by: Wesley Ruff

The University of Utah to the PAC 10? BYU to the Big 12?? It could happen.

This is all speculation...but sources are telling ABC 4 Sports that Utah will be invited to join the PAC 10 conference, but not BYU. The Cougars could wind up in the Big 12...or staying put in the MWC.

Several dominoes have to fall first, but here's how it could all play out...

The Big 10 wants to expand to a 12 team league..giving them a conference championship game in football, like the SEC and Big 12. Pittsburgh could be asked to join the Big 10..or possibly Rutgers.

The PAC 10 would then follow suit, and it would need to invite 2 schools, and it could be Utah and Colorado.

BYU would not be invited, primarily because they don't play on Sunday...and the PAC 10 has a lot of Sunday games. Officially, the PAC 10 would say Utah is a better fit, because it's a research institution and has a medical school, like most of the other PAC 10 schools...and BYU does not.

Again, this is all speculation, but the PAC 10 TV deal is about to expire, and a new TV partner would want the league to have a football championship game, which requires the league to have 12 teams.

According to Mercurynews.com reporter Jon Wilner's blog, PAC 10 commissioner Larry Scott said today, "We're looking at it very seriously. If we were ever going to look at expansion, this would be the logical time."

Utah and Colorado would be good fits for the PAC 10, giving the league exposure in 2 new, top 35 markets.

Utah would make that jump for several reasons, the 2 biggest being it would get them into a BCS conference, and it would be a huge boost for recruiting.

As for BYU, the Cougars could stay in the MWC, or accept an invitation to the Big 12 to fill Colorado's spot, although the Big 12 also has some Sunday competition.

If a team was to leave a conference, they would have to give a 1 year notice, so if a school was invited to join a new conference by June of 2010, it would play the 2010--2011 season in the old conference, then begin play in the new conference in the fall of 2011.

And again, if this happened, there would be more dominoes to fall. Would Boise State join the MWC...would Utah State be asked to join??? Would the MWC fall apart without Utah and BYU? It's all speculation, but once the dominos start falling, it could be very interesting.[/img]

[Mr. Sensible]

I'm for this if they add another western school to the football mix as well. I vote Fresno State. They aren't world beaters but they've been fairly consistent.

[ggraf71]

BYU would not be invited, primarily because they don't play on Sunday...and the PAC 10 has a lot of Sunday games.

What? Am I missing something? I have never seen a Pac 10 football game on sunday. Unless 12 AM Central Time counts. But even then, its only10PM pacific.

Could someone explain?

[Vandy Vol]

What? Am I missing something? I have never seen a Pac 10 football game on sunday. Unless 12 AM Central Time counts. But even then, its only10PM pacific.

Could someone explain?

I assume they're talking about sports like baseball, which are played on Sundays even in the SEC and other conferences.

[ggraf71]

I assume they're talking about sports like baseball, which are played on Sundays even in the SEC and other conferences.

Gotcha. I wasn't thinking about other sports. I'm a retard.

[jmar]

A month or so ago, I was reading another conf. realignment piece and should have posted it but didn't.That idea had Big Ten taking on Missouri in a switch, TCU rolling in it's place and the PAC 10 adding as above mentioned states. This would certainly benefit the western teams that are left out and give them extra benefit of conf. shares, exposure and probably a conf. tourney which is a big deal in the SEC.
Boise and Utah could join in and yes Rutgers and Pitt or WVU (less likely) might move as well.
A BCS styled playoff will eventually be in the mix as predicted. (sanctioned)   
 We pay for water!  Anything is plausible.

[jadennis]

I remember hearing the Missouri suggestion as well.  I think I posted about it here after Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin first said the Big 10 was looking to add.

That's when the Missouri-to-the-Big Ten and the TCU-to-the-Big 12 came up.  For the Pac 10, I don't like the idea of them taking Colorado.  For some reason they just don't fit to me....at all.  I think they should take Boise and Utah or Fresno State. 

[Kaos]

I'm a retard.

I didn't know you were gay. 

[ggraf71]

I didn't know you were gay. 

Pleasuring a man with a socked foot one time does not make a person gay.

[Buzz Killington]

Pleasuring a man with a socked foot one time does not make a person gay.

Look...just because the guy was still wearing his socks doesn't make it any better.

[chinook]

i don't like colorado in this situation.  i would rather see utah and boise state in the mix.  not sure about fresno st. in the pac 10.  that program isn't ready for a bump.

boise state needs a reality check.