Will Arizona to Big 12 mark as the 14th and final move to the Big 12 expansion? CFB insider has a deadline for this realignment

After being vocal over the past few months about the expansionist ambitions of the conference, commissioner Brett Yormark is finally delivering on his Big 12 expansion promise.

Yormark, who resumed as Big 12 commissioner in 2022, can now tick off expansion on his to-do list. His first task had been to secure a media rights deal for the Big 12, which he successfully closed months after resuming office.

Last week, the news broke that Colorado was on its way to the Big 12. Reports are also indicating that Arizona will be submitting an official bid to join the Big 12 this week.

Amidst further speculations that other Pac-12 schools may be heading there, an insider has ruled Arizona as the final piece of the Big 12 expansion.

Should the Big 12 expansion end with Arizona?

If Arizona does indeed move to the Big 12, it brings the membership of the conference to 14. Bear in mind that this figure does not factor in Oklahoma and Texas who are both going to be members of the SEC starting from July 2024.

Oklahoma and Texas are also going to increase the SEC's membership to 16. The Big Ten will also have 16 members by the time USC and UCLA join its ranks in 2024. So why should the Big 12 be content with fourteen members?

From all indications, the trend in college football has begun tilting towards the era of super conferences. Conference realignment over the last two years is building up a concentration of the most prestigious programs in just three conferences. The realignment started in 2021 when Oklahoma and Texas, two of Big 12's biggest schools, initiated the switch to the SEC.

The Big Ten followed in 2022 with USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 in its favor. This is the year of Big 12 expansion and it will not be enough for it to stop at just 14 schools. The advantage is clear. The Pac-12 is very likely to fumble its already delayed media deal. Less money means more disgruntled members. And more disgruntled members is easily an open door for richer conferences to swoop in.

If the Big 12 will not surpass its two biggest rivals, it should at least strive to be on par with them. A lot more will happen in the coming days to make things clearer. Yormark's Big 12 expansion is at an advantage, and the commish knows to press it.