Utah Utes to PAC-10 not yet official

Speculation is mounting that Utah will soon be invited to join the Pac-10. Comcast SportsNet in the Bay Area, for one, is reporting that it's a done deal.

"The Pacific-10 Conference will extend an invitation to the University of Utah to become the league's 12th team, Comcast SportsNet has learned exclusively from sources close to the situation," read the Internet report. "A press conference is expected to formalize the announcement on Wednesday."

Officials from the Mountain West Conference and the U., however, won't confirm it.

"We do not have an announcement or press conference planned at this time," Utah associate athletics director Liz Abel said Tuesday evening.

After the Comcast report was posted, she held to her previous statement.

Utah president Michael Young did not return phone calls by the Deseret News Tuesday evening asking about Utah and its possible inclusion into the Pac-10.

So goes the saga of what many feel is a formality for Utah.

A Southern California source said at USC's trustees meeting Tuesday, they were told that the Pac-10 had authorized the negotiation of an offer to Utah. Everything is solid from the conference's standpoint and was subject only to Utah's agreement on terms.

Utah has been in a holding pattern ever since five Big 12 teams (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech) declined invitations to join the Pac-10 on Monday.

It opened the door and media projections that Utah would be invited to join Big 12 defector Colorado as newcomers to the league. The additions would give the conference 12 teams — including Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State — to meet the NCAA minimum required to have a financially lucrative championship game.

Utah's immediate future, though, is somewhat uncertain.

On Tuesday morning, a website (www.utezone.com) reported that the Utes had informed the Mountain West Conference of their intentions to leave the league Monday night.

Sources at MWC headquarters and the University of Utah denied the story.