ScottyBuff

Within the existing Pac-10 footprint, few schools fit those criteria. However, neighboring states in the western U.S. provide several candidates:

The University of Colorado at Boulder is a top-flight institution that is a member of the Association of American Universities, a "Public Ivy" school, that can tap into the 16th-largest media market in the nation (which would rank fourth in a "new" Pac-10).

The $850 million endowment for the university would rank firmly as the sixth-highest in the expanded conference. CU would rank as the sixth-best program academically according to U.S. News & World Report.

Why would CU move from the Big 12 to the Pac-10? The CU Buffs are currently members of the Big 12 conference but are facing similar financial pressures to those that many Pac-10 schools are dealing with. As one of the top three academic institutions in the Big 12, CU has higher admissions standards than most of the conference and therefore has a more difficult time qualifying prospective student-athletes.

The political dominance of the Texas schools has caused rifts in the membership of the conference, specifically when it comes to sharing the TV revenues. While the Big 12 distributed $113.5 million to member schools in 2008, only $8.6 million of that found its way to CU (10th in the conference). Approximately $3.6 million of that was "guaranteed" sharing from conference bowl contracts and championship game revenues, leaving $5.0 million coming from the conference's TV contract. While this is certainly fairly lucrative, this is the best that the Big 12 can offer with a 12 team alignment. The benefits to CU in an expanded Pac-10 will be outlined below.

CU has traditionally had one recruiting leg in Texas and one in California. Recently that leg in Texas has been weakened severely. CU's admission standards for student-athletes is at the top of the Big 12 and is partly responsible for the Buffaloes failure to "Return to Glory". Academically, only the University of Texas and Texas A&M are in the same ballpark as Colorado in the Big 12; and those schools are sitting on top of recruiting gold in a state that is football-crazy.

Aligning with the Pac Ten, and the greater emphasis on academics for student-athletes, CU would fit into the middle of the pack in regards to admission standards. The recruiting playing field would be much more level and the conferences ideals would be much more inline with the university's. The fans in Boulder and out-of-state alumni would be reinvigorated by aligning with the West Coast schools. The State of Colorado has been undergoing a "Californication" over the past three decades; it might be time to formally acknowledge that relationship at the collegiate level.

Why should the Pac-10 invite CU? CU is a top-notch academic university and has a storied athletic tradition as well. Adding the metro Denver media market would greatly increase the marketability of the conference. CU also has a great many alumni in all the traditional Pac-10 markets that would increase exposure, ticket sales, and TV ratings. There are more CU Alumni clubs in California than there are in Texas.

The University of Utah is located in the second-largest media market available in the West, as Salt Lake City ranks 31st in the nation. Utah is a large public research institution (Carnegie classification as Research/Very High, similar to all Pac-10 teams, except for Oregon, which is listed as Research/High) that ranks closely to Washington State, Arizona, Oregon, and Oregon State according to U.S. News & World Report.

The $500 million endowment for the university would put it in the same mix as Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, and Arizona State.

Why would Utah join the Pac-10? It's an obvious step up for a program that is increasing its national exposure every year. The step up into a bigger conference would increase its athletic department revenues by at least $6 million per year, and that is a very conservative figure.

Gaining access to higher profile bowl games in football, increased exposure in basketball, and an increased recruiting pool (for students, not just athletes) are all easily identifiable gains for the school.

Why should the Pac-10 invite the Utes? Again, adding the next largest TV market (Salt Lake ranks 31st, Las Vegas 42nd, Albuquerque 44th, Honolulu 71st, Colorado Springs 92nd, El Paso 98th, Reno 108th, and Boise 112th) is another factor that will help the Pac-10 to negotiate a more lucrative TV contract.

Adding the quality athletic programs that Utah has proven in football and basketball would also increase the prestige of the conference in the national media (this pays off in rankings, RPI, etc. for selection in postseason play). No other school in the region combines the academic background, athletic success, and financial security that the Utah Utes do (sorry BYU).