Slowly but surely, we’re gaining ground on Utah finally making it official and moving to the Pac-10.
Citing an unnamed source, ESPN.com is reporting that Utah will join the Pac-10 as early as Friday. Buttressing this latest report is a nugget tossed out on Twitter by the Salt Lake Tribune‘s Lya Wodraska, who writes that a “Utah Board of Trustees meeting is set for 12:30 p.m. [MT] tomorrow to discuss/approve conference expansion.”
Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson hinted that the wheels have been set in motion for Utah to move on from the conference they’ve called home since 1999.
“I did state yesterday morning that I had not spoken to [Pac-10 commissioner] Larry Scott,” Thompson said during a break at the Collegiate Commissioners Association meetings. “Twenty-four hours is a long timeframe.”
When asked directly if Utah had an invitation from the Pac-10, Thompson said that he “just need[s] to defer all comments.”
Tick... tick... tick...
UPDATED 3:41 p.m. ET: Utah has just issued a press release announcing there will be a press conference held Friday at 3 p.m. ET, immediately following the Board of Trustees meeting. At that press conference, the Utes are expected to accept an invitation to the Pac-10.
UPDATED 3:47 p.m. ET: Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports via Twitter that “the Pac-10 is likely to make an official announcement of the invitation of Utah soon, like in a few hours or so.”