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It's Official: Colorado Buffaloes To the Pac-10!

By Bob_Bell


According to the Boulder Daily Camera and Neil Woelk, the Colorado Buffaloes are set to announce their acceptance of a Pac-10 invite:

It's a done deal.

The University of Colorado will announce at an 11 a.m. Friday press conference that the school will leave the Big 12 and join the Pac-10.

Multiple sources confirmed the deal to the Camera early Thursday, and league officials are scheduled to be in Boulder on Friday for the announcement.

The new league will have at least 12 teams, and likely 16. Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are also still on the Pac-10's docket, and most observers believe those schools are also ready to make the move to West Coast-based conference. The expanded conference would likely debut in time for the 2012 football season.

Colorado officials have spent the week working behind the scenes to make sure the school was part of the Pac-10's expansion plans. The deal was finalized Wednesday after CU's board of regents gave athletic director Mike Bohn the go-ahead to secure an invitation at a meeting Tuesday night in Denver.

Speculation has mounted for the last week that Colorado would be part of the Pac-10's massive expansion. The Camera reported last week that CU would be part of a six-team deal that would also include Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Here is the Pac-10 press release:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--The Pacific-10 Conference announced today that the University of Colorado at Boulder has accepted an invitation to join the Conference as its 11th member, the first new member since July 1, 1978.

"This is an historic moment for the Conference, as the Pac-10 is poised for tremendous growth. The University of Colorado is a great fit for the Conference both academically and athletically and we are incredibly excited to welcome Colorado to the Pac-10," said Commissioner Larry Scott.

"On behalf of The University of Colorado students, faculty, alumni and fans, we are proud to accept this invitation from the Pac-10 and join the most prestigious academic and athletic conference in the nation, " said Philip P. DiStefano, chancellor of CU-Boulder.

"The University of Colorado is a perfect match - academically and athletically - with the Pac-10," said University of Colorado President Bruce D. Benson, "our achievements and aspirations match those of the universities in the conference and we look forward to a productive relationship."

Commissioner Scott, Chancellor DiStefano, President Benson, CU Board of Regents Chairman Steve Bosely and CU Athletics Director Mike Bohn and others will hold an official press conference on Friday, June 11, 2010 at 11 a.m. MT at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.

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