After USC and UCLA’s exit, Pac-12 could never recover

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After USC and UCLA’s exit, Pac-12 could never recover

By Josh Fisher
August 8, 2023

The departures by USC and UCLA delivered a devastating gut punch to the Pac-12. One that sadly left the conference on the mat until the ref counted '10.'

The fact that we’re getting rumblings that Stanford and Cal might be joining the ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE is a tell-tale sign that we just might need to pump the breaks here on conference realignment. Although I am not a stickler for geographical constraints, we cannot have two stalwart California schools hopping over to the ACC; it makes absolutely no sense.

side note for space lovers: the carbon footprint that the NCAA will leave on this planet, all but green lights ‘space-living’ by 2050.

I am genuinely disappointed in how surprised I am that the PAC-12 Bill Buckner’d (may god rest his soul) this whole situation. Texas and OU, the breadwinners of the Big-12, jumped ship for the SEC. Did the Big-12 crumble like a house of cards? No.

Foolish me believed that the PAC-12 could sustain the loss of its top dogs, USC and UCLA. How to do this? Possibly add SDSU and Utah State. Perhaps bring in New Mexico, Nevada, and Gonzaga for hoops. The sum of the former suggestions would surely not be enough to replace the Trojans and Bruins, but it’s better than the rumored solution to save an ailing conference: an Apple TV Deal.

The minute I heard that there was an Apple TV deal in the works, I knew this conference was sour cream and donions. I’ve heard some abominable solutions suggested, but the Apple TV deal was by far the most pathetic and out of touch.

A conference that couldn’t get viewers (like the other power-5 conferences manage to do), football season after football season, was going to switch to a borderline tier-1 streaming service? Puh-lease. It is literally no wonder USC and UCLA said, ‘Smell ya’. It’s a mockery and a sham that we drug test the student-athletes but not the conference officials; just saying.

With USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington heading to the Big Ten, and Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Arizona State heading to the Big-12, the island of misfit schools is now home to Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State.

Two of the four remaining universities should scoot on over to the Big Ten. Adding USC and UCLA helped make the Big 10 a healthy #2 to the SEC. Add Oregon and Washington to that mix? In my eyes, it’s a toss-up as to which conference is superior. Adding Stanford and Cal would all but cement the ‘Big I-Don’t-Even-Know-How-Many’ as the top conference and be somewhat more reasonable than adding them to the suggested ACC.

Now, there’s an old saying at the club about there being too many (insert slang for male genitalia) on the dance floor, so two schools from the ‘Big Ten’ would have to leave for the ACC. That’s easy, Rutgers and Maryland. The latter used to be in the ACC, and the former could benefit from being in a more winnable conference.

What to do with Oregon State and Washington State? The best bet is to lump them into the Big-12 or MWC.

Hopefully, no PAC schools will go to the ACC. Once the remaining four schools find a home, we can focus on what should be a fantastic final chapter of PAC-12 football.