How long do you think the USC move took? Let's not assume because you only have known for 4 weeks, things are only 4 weeks in.
Nevertheless, we are past 4 weeks, and the poster had another 4.5 at the minimum.
It is a different situation, but not as you think- the Big 12 had more ability to wait after the PAC and ACC passed with the Alliance. We could take out time. The 4 corners have a ticking time bomb with more BIG expansion.
You don't think the PAC is in a position of need? What? Did you listen to their media days? Did you listen to the BIG targeting more PAC? The PAC is considering Cal St schools and revenue raping current members with no alternatives. That is all you need to know about their position of need.
Jumping to the Big 12 from a PAC on life support isn't necessarily the lengthy decision you make it out to be- and is not exactly only 4 weeks in.
But back to the point- Yormark absolutely should be conveying the risk of the 4 corners waiting. It is not disingenuous. Whether it comes with hard time lines, I doubt, but first movers could be given preferential treatment in exchange for the certainty provided to all
You think the Big 10 and USC/UCLA talks only took a couple of weeks? Funny, because reports indicated that it took a couple of months, and that was a relatively simple, mostly 2-sided negotiation. I've no doubt the Big 10 as a whole discussed this well in advance of discussing it with Fox, all which happened before the couple of months they were talking with USC and UCLA. That's how institutional changes get made - slowly and with enough stakeholders agreeing to move forward at every stage.
There's no fire. Yes, the Big XII has leverage in that it is almost certainly going to be able to choose which PAC schools it would like to add and offer them a better situation than what that school would have by remaining in the PAC. At the same time, there only certain schools will increase or maintain Big XII distributions. The schools that do that today will be the ones that do that in three months or in a year. The Big XII isn't only going to take x number of schools.
The PAC will get bids from the open market, which can't even start until next week and it seems won't happen until the Big 10 deal is done late this month/early September. Based on what offers the PAC gets, the Big XII will be able to share projections with the schools that they choose to. A decision won't be made until all that is done. I think October announcements would be moving quickly, to be honest.