Utah and CU match up really well and have better brands that most. This thinking that the big 12 is so superior and stable is bizarre and arrogant. They have been the most unstable conference and is a group of misfit toys that no other p5 wanted. Being concerned about diluting the big 12 with UC and Utah? I don't like Utah so don't want them in but the big 12 has plenty of teams and brands much worse than those - Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State among others. They just added commuter schools of Houston and Cincinnati for crying out loud.

This line of thinking is pac12 ish and will end up with ACC and pac 12 surviving. That is called overplaying your hand. Stanford, Washington, and Oregon have no interest in going to Ames Iowa or Stillwater. They may if that is their only option plus they will be going to Boulder and Phoenix more than those places. They are going to fight like crazy to keep the pac together before signing up with a midwest conference with religous schools. ASU and Arizona fit in the big 12 and are vulnerable because one of them could easily be left out.