Former Colorado coach says college athletics means more in Big 12 cities

Buffs have a lot to look forward to over the next year

The Colorado Buffaloes will be officially making the move to the Big 12 later today, but the excitement surrounding a Pac-12 exit is at a fever pitch. One person who understands that better than anyone is Gary Barnett.

The Buffs former coach went on the record with KOA's Nick Ferguson and Bri Maestas on Wednesday night. He talked about what Colorado could expect and how it's better to be worked into the Big 12's future expansion.

"The big thing (Colorado) is going to a conference where college football, and maybe even college basketball, means more," Barnett said. "It's more important to the people in those states that the Big 12 operates within."

Barnett led the Buffaloes to a Big 12 Championship over Texas in 2001. He was instrumental in recruiting heavily in the state of Texas, which is something Deion Sanders will be a mastermind at doing. The Hall of Famer already has a footprint that extends outside of the Dallas metro area, but he'll be working to add a Boulder pipeline down south. It's something Barnett was highly successful with for years while at CU.

"In the case of coach Sanders, he wants to recruit Texas," Barnett noted. "He wants to be in the south, and a move like this would make him smile. He would feel more comfortable recruiting in those areas, and he thinks it's more important to recruit those areas"

Colorado takes a lot of positives with them into the Big 12. A well-traveled football team with an "up and coming" coach to go along with a competitor in both basketball realms. It's exciting news for the university and will add more revenue across the board.