Big 12: The benefits of bringing Colorado home

This move shows that the Big 12 is going to be aggressive

Often, perception is everything.  That’s why it is important that the Big 12 changes the way it is viewed nationally.  Fortunately, Yormark has been a great leader in that regard.

Just a year ago it was believed by many across the nation that the Big 12 was a league destined to fall into obscurity in the wake of Texas and OU’s planned departures for the S.E.C.  Even the additions of the four new schools could not convince the rest of the country that this is a conference with staying power.

However, by adding a high-profile university from another Power-5 league, the Big 12 has fired a major shot in the realignment revolution and it was critical that Yormark and Co. played the role of the aggressor.  This is the first time that the Big 12 has poached a university from a major conference rather than adding ones from lower-profile leagues.

The new Big 12 boss is the closest thing the NCAA has seen to a high seas pirate.  Going across the nation and collecting programs while trying to build a coast-to-coast conference, Yormark has transformed the perception of the league.

Now, by pulling CU out of the PAC-12 like a miner pulling a golden nugget out of a Rocky Mountain stream, he’s put the rest of the country on notice that the Big 12 isn’t going away.  Gone are the defensive and fearful days of the Bowlsby leadership era.

Instead, the Big 12 is now viewed as a progressive, active, and relevant force in the NCAA landscape.  That’s a welcome change after a decade of having buzzards circling overhead.  Now, those buzzards seem to be headed west to pick at a different carcass.