The end of the Pac-12 Conference could be imminent. The league better be bracing for further calamity, as Arizona football is inching closer out the door.

“Sources: Arizona is in deep discussions with the Big 12 about joining the league,” ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. “Some finality is expected in the near future, as there’s an Arizona Board of Regents meeting scheduled for later tonight.”

It appears the Wildcats are reaching a point of no return, one that can also apply to the Pac-12 as a whole. A move has been highly speculated and even encouraged throughout the college football world, especially with USC, UCLA and now Colorado all headed elsewhere. If Arizona is also intent on finding new beginnings with the Big 12, then others like Oregon and Washington may seek refuge in the Big Ten.

Although a dragged-out pursuit of a new media rights deal foreshadowed future problems, a full-on conference apocalypse seemed unfathomable less than a year ago. Now, it is a perfectly plausible, if not probable outcome. The Wildcats have not made much of an imprint on the gridiron in recent years (they made strides last season and in recruiting), but their standing as one of the premier basketball programs in the Pac-12 and country cannot be discounted.

The Big 12 arguably boasts the deepest hoops conference, and Arizona could take it to even greater heights if a deal is reached. However, football is the main driving force behind any significant decision. There is just too much uncertainty that surrounds the Pac-12 Conference and Commissioner George Kliavkoff.

Arizona football has clearly run out of patience and is hoping to land on more solid ground in the retooling Big 12. It no longer seems to be a question of if that will happen but rather when.