Gonzaga to the Big 12 is alive again

Approximately three months ago, I wrote a post titled “Gonzaga to the Big 12 is finally dead.” Since conference realignment’s only apparent rule is “Nothing makes sense and it is happening constantly,” that post title now appears to be incorrect based on the Monday Morning News Dropping Your Kids Off at the Pool article by Seth Davis.

EXCLUSIVE: Multiple sources told @TheMessenger that the Big 12 and Gonzaga have resumed negotiations about the possibility of Gonzaga joining the league, possibly as early as next year. My story: https://t.co/BRAj8ZesIQ pic.twitter.com/QEuNRQbORu

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) October 9, 2023

This exciting, depending on where you stand, news, was further cemented by the following tweet.

Big 12 seriously considering adding Gonzaga in 2024 or '25, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. 1st report by @SethDavisHoops. Decision may occur in 2 weeks, which would be “major coup” for Big 12. GU may accept less revenue (like SMU to ACC), source said.⤵️ https://t.co/rURmDOaUEz

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 9, 2023

So there you have it. As quickly as Gonzaga’s Big 12 hopes appeared to die late in the summer following the catastrophic implosion of the Pac 12, it now seems like the Zags might be scheduling Saint Mary’s for a home-and-home non-conference game sooner than later.

Or not. Who the hell knows? The only way to correctly report on conference realignment is to just post what is said and note that everything can change and the situation is very fluid.

Does Gonzaga to the Big 12 make sense at this very moment? If it does on a financial level, then sure. If it doesn’t, then absolutely not. Gonzaga obviously did not drown from the WCC anchor when it made the national title in 2017 and 2021.

However, decisions of this magnitude are not made with “now” in mind. The concept of conferences in college sports as entities that make some sort of sense based on locations, similar profiles of schools, etc, has long gone out the window as of October 2023. The West Coast Conference might mean something in principle, but the power players at work, the Big 12, the Big Ten, or the SEC, they really don’t give a shit.

We don’t need any further proof of the worst-case scenario than what is currently happening to Washington State and Oregon State. Gonzaga probably will not end up in a situation like that, but to just assume the status quo is going to survive next year is how dinosaurs turn into fossils.

So buckle up for some more will they or won’t they articles for the next month. Or maybe longer. Or maybe shorter. Or maybe I’ve fallen into a coma and this is some sort of weird drug-induced fever dream.