UA football coach Jedd Fisch: 'A lot of positives behind' Arizona's move to Big 12

At the conclusion of Arizona’s practice on Sunday to wrap up the first week of preseason training camp, UA President Robert Robbins and men’s basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd spoke to the Wildcats — the latter donning a red AC/DC-style “BTFD” shirt (the “B” and “D” are for “Bear Down,” the “T” means “the”; we’ll let you figure out the rest).

Among the talking points: Ball.

“He said he’s proud of the boys for the way they’re working,” Fisch said of Robbins, “He’s been to a lot of practices over the last couple of years and he’s seeing the differences in the guys from where they were when we first got here to where they are now — the competitiveness, the energy, the size, the speed. He recognized that.”

More notably, there was the conference realignment element to Robbins’ speech, two days after the UA announced that it will leave the Pac-12, after 45 years as a conference member, for the Big 12 in 2024. That jump Friday came in the wake of other teams previously bolting the Pac-12, but more so following a media rights proposal from Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff earlier in the week that centered on streaming conference games via Apple TV+.

As of now, the only four Pac-12 teams slated to be a part of the conference are Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State.

“(Robbins) obviously talked about the importance of our focus being on this year in the Pac-12 and doing everything we can to play the best possible football we can and in the future as we transition,” Fisch said. “We’ll do our best to give that opportunity to the guys as well.”

Here are other pertinent items Fisch discussed on Sunday regarding Arizona’s move to the Big 12 after this season:

How do you react to Arizona moving to the Big 12?

A: “I think it’s what was needed at the time, when we found out about the changes that other programs were making and the decisions other programs were having. It was the only move at this point in time. There’s a lot of positives behind it.

“Clearly, we all love being in the Pac-12 and playing the schools on the West Coast, but as those West Coast schools were no longer in the Pac-12, it made things more difficult and challenging for all aspects of the game. Now it’s an opportunity to recruit nationally. It’s an opportunity for us to really put a footprint in Texas. I recruited Florida my whole life.

“Of course, I love the idea of bringing our West Coast team east, so we’re going to spend a lot of time focused on Southern California and Arizona, like we always have.

“But it’s great. I appreciate (Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke) and Dr. Robbins for all their hard work and making sure we landed at a good opportunity at a really good spot — and we did that. With that being the case, now we have a chance to really focus on today. We don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen next. ‘Where are we gonna go?’ We know where we’re going to be, we know what’s going to happen come end of the football season, and so our focus right now is on the Pac-12.”

What was your role in this process?

A: I think that the conversations that they had with all of the head coaches, we need to keep it within ourselves, and we recognize the importance of those conversations. We recognize the importance of that decision and so did they.”

How does playing in different time zones affect Arizona’s brand?

A: “I think for the brand of Arizona football, (what) we continue to do is grow. We all saw the importance of what Arizona was going to do. That was what everyone seemed to be waiting on for a long time.

“The reason why they were doing that was because the strength of the ‘Block A.’ When that’s the case, that’s a good sign.

“More people on the east coast heard about Arizona over the course of the last two weeks than they have for a very long time. More people in Texas continue to hear about Arizona, so if we keep doing things like that, it certainly helps.

“In this case, we just gotta worry about winning this year, and then we know that people, like recruits and coaches across the country, have now taken notice.”

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How do you think these ‘super conferences’ will affect college football?

A: “I don’t know. I think it’s what we’re going to, it’s what we’re headed to, it’s where we’re at, and I don’t know. I feel like I’ve coached in a super conference 15 of my 25 years (as a coach) and it’s the NFL, and it was a 32-team super conference.

“Maybe one day (college football) will become a 64-team super conference or mega conferences, but right now we’re just focusing on the Pac-12.”

To remain connected to California, could Arizona potentially schedule nonconference games against California schools?

A: “Yeah, I absolutely think there are great opportunities. As we get going in the future and scheduling starts being a discussion point — obviously, we scheduled Texas Tech, Kansas State, games that are now in the (Big 12) conference.

“So for the future, we have opportunities that have opened up that we can find ways to continue to play west, and we’re going to do that.

“We’re never going to not recruit Southern California. That is a baby of ours. As long as I’m the head coach here, we are going to dig deep in Southern California and do everything we possibly can. You know what? It’s a lot shorter flight from L.A. to Houston than L.A. to (Newark, New Jersey) airport.”

With this being Arizona’s last year in the Pac-12, is this season abnormal for you?

A: “No, really (it) isn’t. This is an exciting year for our team. Our team has clearly gotten better as a football team, so our focus is each week, ‘How do we improve?’ Really, every day in training camp, ‘How do we improve?’

So whatever is lingering ahead, I think it would’ve been much more concerning if we didn’t know. If there was this wonder, ‘What’s next?’ There’s not that wonder. So we know the 16 teams (in the Big 12).”

What do you make of the teams in the Big 12?

A: “I think it’s a great football conference.

“We’re talking about programs that have been where we all strive to be, which is the College Football Playoff.

“There’s a lot of good football there.

“That conference right now is sitting in a spot where there’s some really, really good football and we’re excited to join that conference and be one of those major contenders.”

Do you have any distinct memories against Big 12 opponents?

A: “Yeah, when I was coaching Arizona and we lost to BYU the first game; that’s a distinct memory. Not one of my better memories, but it was a memory nonetheless.

“I don’t know how many games I’ve coached against those schools.”