Strike 3: Say what you want about the athletic administration at the University of Colorado over the past couple of decades, but one thing can’t be argued. When it comes to being prepared and ready for movement on the conference realignment front, CU has been out in front, making all the right moves at the right time.
There are those that will still argue that CU should have never left the Big 12 back in 2011. But at the time, the Big 12 looked frail, with no forethought about the future and no real direction other than staying afloat while Nebraska and CU departed, followed soon thereafter by Missouri and Texas A&M. Had athletic director Mike Bohn and his department not acted quickly, who knows where CU would have ended up if Texas had pulled the pin and the whole thing blew up.
A decade later, after the Big 12 had brought in new leadership, expanded its footprint and reinforced itself with additions like West Virginia, Central Florida, BYU, Houston and others, CU was ready to return, once again in search of stability. They were the first to jump off the sinking ship that was the rudderless Pac-12 and find a new/old home before the “conference of champions” went totally under.
Give the folks in Boulder credit. They’ve consistently stayed ahead of the curve – and made the correct move – when it comes to realignment.
So you have to wonder what they’re thinking about in Boulder these days, because we know seismic shifts in college sports are far from being over.
Assuming that the ACC dies just as the Pac-12 did, and that the further consolidation of conferences finally brings about two super leagues with divisions, what would the perfect scenario look like for CU? You have to believe that geography will make some form of a comeback.
Let’s just say that CFB eventually lands (for ease of operations) with, say 64 “FBS” teams placed in eight, eight team divisions. What kind of division would the Buffs like to end up in?
The same one with Nebraska would be an obvious choice, but the Huskers would more than likely end up in a Midwest division with the Iowa teams, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the like.
Colorado on the other hand would likely remain tied in with western/mountain programs like Utah, BYU, Arizona and the southern California schools. In other words, back in what could essentially be the reincarnation of the southern division of the Pac-12.
So despite having made all the right decisions at the most important times regarding realignment, CU could find themselves right back there once again – albeit in a far better financial situation than they were in when they left the failing conference after last season. And would that be so bad? This season, the CU football road trips include places like Lubbock, Texas and Lawrence, Kan. Next year they go to Waco, Texas and Manhattan, Kan. along with Stillwater, Okla. and Cincinnati.
Going back to a division that includes your Pac-12 foes means going back to the west coast, to Los Angeles. That wouldn’t be so bad.
Whatever happens, CU’s track record in realignment is as good as it gets to this point. The folks in Boulder know how to make sure they land in the right spot.