The Remaining Pac12 Schools Overplayed Their Hands and Misjudged Their Value, Now What?
“I’m flying high over Tupelo, Mississippi with America’s hottest conference. And we’re all about to die.” – Cameron Crowe, probably. Only if his masterpiece Almost Famous we’re about realignment in College Football.
The remaining Pac12 schools are being crushed by the weight of its own arrogance that only a century of insulated spheres of influence can make it possible. But enough about higher education, let’s get to their equally conceited counterparts in the athletics department.
The value of the Pac12 schools to the rest of college football and to the various broadcast networks isn’t same as what the conference perceived itself as being. Without the Los Angeles schools in the conference there’s little value in broadcasting a bunch of schools that don’t move the needle market wise.
Few outside the Pac12 were ever excited for a Stanford-Cal game that could only be seen on the conference’s network. I’m not sure the Pac12 Network ever had the same clearance as propaganda network Russia Today enjoyed before the invasion of Ukraine. The Pac12 will soon go the way of Cream magazine and give way to a rolling stone they can’t stop.
Schools like Cal-Berkeley, Washington State, and Oregon State are stuck with no potential suitors from major conferences according to various reports while Stanford is depending on Notre Dame to be invited to the Big Ten and the Cardinal are brought along under the guise of academics with the Irish.
Meanwhile, Oregon and Washington are desperately trying to earn a Big Ten invite even though the payouts would be half of their Midwest and East Coast friends. The Big 12 stands to gain a lot with these two schools in the conference with more inventory slots of games to be played from 12pm Eastern to 11pm Pacific in every time zone. Oregon still doesn’t believe they belong in the Big 12 and allegedly jumped on the roof of a house while screaming, “I AM A GOLDEN GOD!”
Colorado and Utah have been suffering even more delusions of grandeur thinking they belong in the Big Ten. Many Utah fans went to social media grousing that they would share a conference with BYU again and in the process made themselves to be almost as insufferable as Texas Longhorn fans.
The Utes finally won their first Pac12 Championship and now believe they’re ready to be included with the big boys. However, Utah is just along for the ride as the Arizona schools are driving the bus.
Colorado on the other hand has been the poster child for futility as they have had one winning season since 2005 and haven’t been thought of since by their former/future Big 12 rivals. The Buffs desperately need their recruiting pipeline to Texas if they’re ever going to be on a competitive plain again.
If the many reports are true, then we can expect Arizona and Arizona State to make the jump first by applying to the Big 12 and Utah and Colorado will follow suit soon after to save face and get on the lifeboat away from the sinking Pac12. The Big 12 is operating from strength right now and it’s crazy to say out loud, but the mind rot of kowtowing to Texas and Oklahoma for over twenty years held back the league.
Buckle up because this short week is going to be fun to watch.
Allen Corbin
Allen Corbin resides along the Wasatch Mountain range in Salt Lake City, UT. He covered Texas Tech Football and Basketball from 2008-2015 and is currently a recovering sports radio host and newsreader.
