THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Just how much power does Prime have at Colorado?

How big is the Prime phenomenon at Colorado?

Well …

It’s powerful enough that a football coach can move a 36,000-student university from one part of the country to another.

All by himself.

The proof was made official by the CU Board of Regents on Thursday afternoon, when they announced their decision to leave the Pac-12 Conference in favor of the Big 12.

Or what is now the Big 15.

The suits who sold this decision to the board – chancellor Phil DiStefano and athletic direction Rich George – harped on the Pac-12’s lack of stability at a time when the conference is waiting to lock in a new media rights deal.

But industry sources insist that a new arrangement, merely delayed as new streaming sources come aboard, will be at least as profitable for Pac-12 schools as the $31 million in the Big 12’s deal.

Yet Colorado, which claimed to be a loyal and permanent member of the Pac-12 just a month ago, decided not to wait to hear any details.

Nope.

The Buffs chose to bolt, solely because football coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders wants to recruit in Texas rather than in California.

IT’S AS simple as that.

Prime might as well be running the entire University of Colorado.

This is the sort of thing that really seems to settle an argument.

Do sports in general — and football in particular — have far too great a place alongside academics in American universities?

Clearly they do, if Prime’s recruiting preference can shape the future of a giant state educational institution.

Sanders definitely has raised the profile of CU football, even though he’s yet to coach a game.

He’s used his “brand” to dismiss most of the players he inherited, brought in a new batch, installed his son as the quarterback, and dazzled CU with such Prime charisma that the spring game was sold out.

But that was just his warm-up act.

Now he’s managed to pack the entire university into his limo and haul it to Texas.

The guff handed out by DiStefano and George — both of whom are near retirement and obviously feared displeasing The Prime — was an insult to the university they serve.

Look …

I’m the sort of columnist who loves to come up with the funny line and treat these games we watch as fun.

Sadly, there’s nothing humorous about the idea of a football coach deciding which conference his school should favor with its presence.

The whole thing is disgraceful.

You want a laugh line?

OK, years ago when Oklahoma had an all-conquering football team that was littered with academic failures and social misfits, here was the joke around the Midwest about OU …

“We just want a university that makes the football team proud.”

Yeah, it WAS meant as an insult, a slap at a program that had gotten all the basic things about collegiate sports upside down.

And now …

WELCOME to that same club, Colorado.

You’ve been held hostage by a football coach and decided to pay the ransom.

You know, I watched that Board of Regents meeting, which was held only to confirm the decision that had been reached on Wednesday.

Quite a few of those men and women looked embarrassed.

As they should.

I suspect most knew what a wrongheaded move they were voting to approve.

There’s no doubt Prime can find more wide receivers and defensive tackles in Texas than California.

In every other way, however, CU should be waiting to discover (as it would) that the same money and stability will eventually be there for the Pac-12.

Why should Colorado be waiting?

Ah …

The University of Colorado has three times more students from California than Texas — plus the vibe and entire culture of Boulder is on the same wave length as the West Coast.

CU HAS far more alums out west, too — and that means finances.

The alumni association reported that there has been a huge increase in donations since the school joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

Since it left the Big 12, in other words.

George, the AD who bowed down to Prime and signed off on this travesty, once said of membership in the Pac-12: “Where we play is taking us where our people are.”

Trust me, he wasn’t talking about Amarillo.

You can look this up, but save some time and take my word …

By almost every measure, Pac-12 schools are considered academically superior to those in the Big 12.

No, Colorado didn’t make this move to achieve a higher ranking among the list of American universities.

This was all about Prime Time.

Now, CU, I’ve saved your worst error for last …

Once Prime has a couple of winning seasons (assuming he does), you’re in for some shocking news.

He really wants to coach in the SEC.

So…

Will you phone Atlanta and ask if you can move again?

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”