Big 12 votes unanimously to accept Colorado as new member, sources say - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — The Big 12's presidents and chancellors voted unanimously on a conference call to accept Colorado as a new member on Wednesday night, sources told ESPN.

The vote marks one of the final remaining steps to be completed for Colorado to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12, a move that's hurtling toward being finalized on Thursday.

Colorado still has not formally applied for Big 12 membership, another of the final formal steps remaining for it to join the league. But Wednesday night's Big 12 vote marks another necessary step toward it joining the conference, a move that's increasingly becoming an inevitability.

A Colorado departure from the Pac-12 would come after the 2023-24 season and coincide with the end of the Pac-12 television deal. That would mean that Colorado would not have to pay any exit fee to the league.

Colorado is expected to formally apply for membership on Thursday, the same day that the school's Board of Regents is holding a «special board meeting» that sources say includes a vote on the move to the Big 12. Sources expect the final steps to be taken on Thursday and a deal to be formalized.

The Big 12 vote comes in the wake of Colorado's board holding an executive board session on Wednesday to discuss the potential move, according to sources. When that was completed, the corresponding move for a public meeting to hold a potential vote on the league change came moments after.

The school announced a «special board meeting» and the agenda is listed as «Action Item: Athletics Operations.» A board spokesman told ESPN that an action item indicates a vote will take place.

In the Colorado system, a public meeting is required for a vote on a matter such as switching conferences. A board spokesman confirmed