We recruit a lot better in California than we do in Texas. Forget road trips to Nebraska. Let’s hit the coast.

Is how I see it. Yes, our history is with OU, NE, KU. And, yes, I would be sad to see that go.

However, in attempting to be objective, I feel like CU’s culture is more attractive to H.S. students from Pac-10 country and therefore we should be able to recruit better athletes from these states. It’s tough to sell CU to guys from farms/small towns in Big XII land when they’re raised by typically conservative families. However, CU and Boulder’s “brand” is much more palatible on the Left Coast. And, the kids from Texas that want to come to CU will still come here, by and large.

As I see it, over the long-term, it’s a better fit for us. However, I wish we could jump after a few 8+ win seasons so the perception would not be we’re running to where we think we can win.

but I’d prefer to stay in the Big 12. Nothing against the PAC 10 (its my second choice), but it does seem like a step down in prestige if you ask me. Even though I might agree that Boulder is more in line with the Left Coast than the Mid West, it would still feel like a demotion.

Colorado will always recruit California well, but our only hope of ever breaking into the Texas talent will be gone if we leave the Big 12.

What would our incentive be to do this?

There needs to be an in depth analysis because it would be a change with long-term, intense repercussions. I’m “open” to the idea, enough to vote yes and was surprised to see the high level of support for the idea. CU has always played Pac 10 teams starting with the multi-year rivalry with UWashington in the early 1990s and this decade we have played series against ASU and USC with Cal coming up. CU is working hard to further improve its academic reputation as well and become the “Berkeley of the Rockies.” Why not become athletic and academic rivals of Cal, UCLA, and Stanford? UDub and USC are very solid universities as well. In the Big 12 it’s us, Texas and A&M. The rest of the schools are on part with SEC (excluding Vanderbilt). I agree that it would be better for alumni and recruiting in the long run and I don’t consider the old Big 8 rivalries to be very sacred in the modern game, excluding Nebraska. Perhaps we schedule a yearly traditional/regional battle with Nebraska on par with Notre Dame vs. Michigan, Florida vs. Florida St., Clemson vs. S.Carolina to preserve a tie to the Big 12.

There are lots of good reasons to join the Pac 10.

For one thing, there would be a Pac 12 championship game.

You’d have an avenue to recruit kids from SoCal, which is loaded with talent.

If you are worried that you wouldn’t have a chance to be #1, just run the table against the Pac 12, including beating Oregon and USC. That’ll do just fine. Pardon me for saying so, but I think the rational CU fan is several steps away from entertaining that kind of delusion. However, CU would be totally competitive in the Pac 10 in football. Right now, I bet CU could beat ASU and WSU at the very least, and probably beat AZ or UCLA as well.

And seriously. Do your roadies in LA, Tempe, San Francisco, and Seattle instead of Iowa and Oklahoma. That alone should be enough of a reason. I know some of you are sold on this one.

Most importantly is the $$$ deal, which is yet to be determined. The commissioners are experts at negotiating such deals, unlike their fossilized predecessor, so you can be optimistic on that front.

ps Bear fan here. Hope you have a fun time visiting Berkeley next year!

along with every other PAC10 school compared to the Big 12. Ames, Lawrence, Manhattan, Lubbock, Stillwater, Norman, College Station, Lincoln are utterly revolting compared to Boulder. Berkeley’s stadium reminds me of Folsom Field and every other Pac 10 city sounds awesome other than maybe Pullman.

I have been a Buffs fan for 12 seasons now, ever since I was a 10 year old kid, born and raised in Nebraska. I still have close family in the Omaha area, all die-hard Husker fans. 62-36 was one of the most ecstatic days in my life. I hate how our rivalries have died because we have started to lose more than we win. I understand that the Pac-10 sounds more intriguing right now, but to erase the history we have with the Big XII would be so jolting, I’d be in unfamiliar territory with a move to the West. I am a Midwest kid at heart, a Buffs fan till death, and if we do move to the Pac-10 that’s not going to change obviously, but damn, would it be tough on me if we leave the Big XII.

All that being said, whatever’s best for us, let it happen.

…mostly because I’m from northern California and went to CU. I have piles of friends and high school acquaintances who attended PAC-10 schools. I would be MUCH more inclined to travel to Cali than Texas. I think the comments about CU being a better fit in the PAC-10 are right on target. I would be reluctant to leave some Big-12 rivalries behind and the virtually yearly chance to play a top 5 ranked team is nice as well, but I would look forward to a new conference that is a better fit overall for CU.

Why would they consider the “Denver market” that great, I mean we can’t even count on the “Denver market” to fill the stadium on home games as it is now

I think it’s a great idea and completely agree with those thoughts that we fit better with those programs culturally speaking perhaps even academically.

I understand the historical argument against joining but I am having problems understanding the relevancy argument. Finishing in last place in the Big 12 does not make us any more relevant than last place in the Pac-10.

I’ll be honest, I left my road trip days to Lawrence and Norman behind when i graduated college. It would be nice to be able fly out to these PAC-10 locations. It’s wayyyy easier to convince the significant other of a trip to Cali or Wash than it is to convince them of a good-old fashioned Roadie to Lincoln!!!! No offense to any Iowans but Ames is hardly a vacation destination.

My recollection of college was there were always a large percentage of left coast people at CU, far more proportionately than I would see from any Big 12 states. I mean come on, you can’t be from Nebraska and go to school at CU, I think they take away your overalls or one of your last remaining teeth for that :) So i would imagine we’d have a much stronger alumni presence at these other schools.

but then again I love the bowl system too…

I also don’t equate the Pac-10 anywhere close to the Big 12 on the prestige scale.

Oddly enough I’ve always considered the Pac-10 the most prestigious conference to be in. Maybe not football specifically but all round it seemed like the coolest conference.

Denver media market yadda yadda.

As a Stanford fan speaking with other Pac-10 fans I know, we’d love to have the Buffs join the Pac-10 if it comes to expansion, culturally and academically you guys are a great fit, you hippies. If you don’t have baseball or swimming, no biggie our baseball/swimming/softball/cross country/etc. teams plays rando’s all the time (Cal State Sacremento? Really?). Wouldn’t even mind Colorado State to maintain the in-state rivalries thing.

Utah, ok whatever, fine if CU joins to make it a nice even number.

BYU scares us & most of the Pac-10. I think we scare them too. Last time the Stanford band went to BYU, it didn’t go over so well from their perspective. Band Skit: “Marriage is between a man and a woman…and a woman…and a woman…and a woman…and a woman.”

Anyhow, hope it works out.

I think its funny that some people want UC to go to the Pac 10 so they can be competitive. This is the BIG 12 BROTHER! Besides, I love to hate you guys. I don’t need the separation anxiety

Love the idea! Boulder and CU have much more in common on numerous fronts with left coast than we do with the other schools in the XII. Christ Baylor is a couple decades fresh from allowing dancing! It would also be nice to have a network we are part of so we could actually see our away games. (If we ever win one)

If we assume that (american) universities are or have become private enterprises and need to operate like a business, it is obviously in CU’s best interest to associate itself (academically and athletically) with places like Stanford, Cal Berkely, and the University of Washington; and set it sights on the distant future – and not towards the backwaters of aimes, lubbuck, stillwater, waco, college station, and yes, you too: lincoln, you metropolis of hay markets ;) The University of Colorado needs to do a little rebranding – as they say in the advertising world. A new CU era, a new gaze to the west, and yes, a new leadership, would certainly do wonders for CU as an institution in general. CU has obviously chosen to step up its academic standards, and if it wishes to be taken seriously – which is certainly isn’t among the snobs of east coast elite – it needs to compete not with the football dogmatism of TEXAS and OKLAHOMA.
 Instead of suffering from disillionment each year (b/w mass slaughter from Big XII war machines, or upsets from montana states), the buffs need a better plan of attack. No doubt, the Buffs can be very competitive in a new kind of future, and even great!! CU can’t compete with one-dimensional places like norman, oklahoma; and it’s flat out embarrassing to eek out 1 point wins in aimes. If we’re going to throw around that annoying word “competitive”… Boulder/Denver should innovate and compete. Not with Lawence, but with places like Eugene, Seattle, Santa Monica/Los Angeles, and my home, the Berkeley/Bay Area.
- An angy, and loyal fan.

    I’d love to see the Buffs move to the Pac 10, as would everybody else associated with CU. The only ones that want us to stay in the Big XII are the other teams in the North Division, as they have been nearly guaranteed a win with CU on the schedule ever since the Bohn-Hawkins era began.
    This grand institution badly needs a change of scenery and an opportunity to hit the RESET button. Fire Bohn first, Hawkins next, hire somebody that will build a winner and generate donation $$$, and get on with your exciting new life in the Pac 10. Just the thought of it makes me happy!!!!

If we want to go drive around in hybrids, drinking wine and sniffing our own farts, fine, move to the Pac10.

There is absolutly no way I would want to move from a Powerhouse conference as in the Big 12, and go to a slightly above mid-major Pac10. Most of the talent we get in recruting is from guys who want to play for a Big 12 school, then put us into the Pac10, then who are we going to get? thats right, we get Pac10 talent. This would be a absolutly stupid move for CU.

I do agree that CU as a school is not that simular to the other Big 12 schools, but that is a good thing, not a bad thing. CU’s below average recruiting is attributed to us getting over major scandles, not because we are in the wrong conference. With the scandles we have had, we are going to be recruiting at this level of just about any conference. If we were in the Big Sky conference, guess what we would likely again be at the bottom of that conference, why would an athelete go to CU with all its baggage if you could go to Northern Colorado without the baggage? Both schools are going to get you the same exposure.

If CU has any intention of being a top school in the NATION a move the the Pac10 would be the worst thing we can do.