I’ve been thinking about this recently as the Pac 12/10 is in a lot of trouble with the LA schools leaving. And IMO the most realistic positive outcome for CU is going back to the Big 12, which looks poised to become a good hoops conference and the third best football conference(albeit a distant third).

Obviously the PAC is a better cultural fit. Boulder has a lot more in common with Eugene and Berkeley than it does with Lubbock and Manhattan. And I’m sure the administration liked not having to deal with UT and OU, although on the other hand the Pac 12 was led by Larry Scott. If a rising tide raises all boats, than Larry Scott and his garbage network had the opposite effect. Whatever struggles existed in the athletic departments were compounded by Larry, and the conference became a laughing stock. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, and other than A&M none of the other three schools that left then are doing great performance wise. But at least Mizzou and Nebraska can say that for now they’re along for the ride in the premier leagues. The Buffs ended up in what a lot of years this past decade was probably the worst P5 league in men’s basketball and football(granted CU didn’t exactly help in football, but still). At best it was a lateral move and at worst CU could end up in a worse place than they were when the arrived in the Pac 12.