...ionship game that 12 teams would give the PAC-10. That may be the driver. Championship game = greater fan interest = more leverage in the upcoming TV contract negotiations.

So the PAC-10 needs a team, and CU may be the best fit of the available candidates, despite its problems.

It's sort of like prom time.

The PAC-10 needs a date, but the only two options are the buttaface ho-ho who's dating the Big XII and the hot, chaste Mormon chick who hasn't been asked out yet. The PAC-10 has to have a date, any date, or they can't go to the prom. The PAC-10 as a rule would rather party than play charades, so they load up on antibiotics and steal the ho-ho away from the Big XII, who's more than happy to dump her and get the hot arm-candy Mormon upgrade just for show.

So, the PAC-10 gets into the prom and the Big XII loses some baggage and gets a safe albeit boring upgrade.