Is the Pac 12 done?

[Moranis]

It looks like tomorrow Colorado is going to be headed back to the Big 12.  With USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten and both Oregon and Washington making no secret they wanted to go with USC and UCLA, plus the Big 12 basically openly recruiting Arizona, Arizona St., and Utah, it looks like the Pac 12 is going to disappear entirely.  Be very interested to see how this all shakes out and if Colorado leaving does open the door for the other 3 to join them (forming a Big 16).  That would give the Big 12 a pretty big footprint (they have BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston joining for all sports this year) and would allow them to reduce some travel by bringing in some more natural rivals.  Heck maybe they go for 20 adding Stanford, Cal, San Diego St, and 1 other team (maybe So. Florida or La Tech)

Or maybe Colorado leaves, San Diego St. joins the Pac 12 and nothing else happens.  Who knows.

[boscel33]

I think we wind up with four super conferences, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and ACC, but SI has an interesting 10 team conference take that I do like.  The article is a couple years old now, but it states it would work for the others sports too, not just football.



This led others to create some of their own versions similar to it like this one:



Personally, I don't think the super conferences will work.  If there are 12 teams in the CFP, then a 10 conference alignment seems about right.  Conference champs then two at large.

[Donoghus]

Sure sounds like it. 4 corners to Big 12, Oregon/Wash/Cal/Stanford to Big Ten and poor Wash St & Oregon St on the outside maybe?

It's funny.  If you asked me two years ago, I would've said the Big 12 would've been the ones going extinct.

[Moranis]

Sure sounds like it. 4 corners to Big 12, Oregon/Wash/Cal/Stanford to Big Ten and poor Wash St & Oregon St on the outside maybe?

It's funny.  If you asked me two years ago, I would've said the Big 12 would've been the ones going extinct.

Yes, but they have a whole lot of major media markets.  The Pac 12 has some, but they are losing southern California, leaving basically just San Fran, Seattle, and Phoenix.  And a lot of the San Fran are people are Bruin or Trojan fans. 

The Big Ten has been ahead of the game on media market moves.  They've always understood that TV is where they make their money, so every move (even Penn St. in the 90's) was about market share.  It is why they never bothered with a school like Missouri even though the fit was there almost every where else and instead went for schools like Rutgers and Maryland.

I have posited before that the top 60 schools are going to break away from the NCAA and form their own league with uniform rules for transfers, nil, etc.  Essentially forming two conferences with 3 10 team divisions.  The more academic schools in the Big Ten Confernce and the other schools in the South Eastern Conference.

So something like UNC, Duke, ND, GA Tech, BC, Oregon, Wash, Colorado, Clemson, California, Stanford, Pitt, Utah, Virginia joining the 16 existing Big Ten members.  Then something lkke these 14 joining the existing SEC - WVU, VA Tech, Arizona, ASU, Okie St, Oregon St., Wash St., Baylor, TCU, TTech, FSU, Miami, Kansas, NC St.

So each would have 3 geographic 10 team divisions.  The Big Ten would have their original 10, then an Eastern and a western division.  SEC would have something similar.  They basically just play games within their conference and then meet for a 16 team playoff where they seed 1 to 8 per conference. I'd mix the conferences in the first round as I think that is way more interesting so 1 seed BT plays 8 seed SEC, etc.

[Moranis]

Big 12 commish today said they want to go to 14, so 1 more addition.  It appears they would like a Pac 12 school with Arizona being the most talked about, but UConn also being considered (if they go non-football then Gonzaga has a real shot as well).

[Moranis]

Looks like the end is here.  Big 10 has authorized its commissioner to explore adding Oregon and Washington. I believe, the Big 10 only does this, if they know they are going to add Oregon and Washington.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I admit that I'm not much of a college football fan, but I don't get the way conferences are now, basically with no geographic boundaries/limitations.

[Moranis]

Looks like Arizona will be headed to Big 12 shortly.

[Moranis]

Should be interesting today.  The Big Ten is reportedly going to extend invited to Oregon and Washington, but a report an hour or so ago said Oregon was leaning towards staying in Pac 12.  Be interested to see what happens there.

[Donoghus]

Should be interesting today.  The Big Ten is reportedly going to extend invited to Oregon and Washington, but a report an hour or so ago said Oregon was leaning towards staying in Pac 12.  Be interested to see what happens there.

Oregon should definitely leave.  Self-preservation is the key.

[Donoghus]

Dan Wetzel
@DanWetzel
The Big Ten is in the final stages of adding Oregon and Washington as it expands to 18 teams, industry sources tell
@RossDellenger
 and me. Ducks and Huskies have informed other Pac 12 schools they intend to leave.

[Moranis]

Looks like AZ, ASU, and Utah are going to be in Big 12, leaving just 4 teams left in the PAC.  Not sure OSU and WSU will have much interest, but Stanford and Cal seem like they should. 

So does the Big Ten just go with 2 9 team divisions  (at least for football)

East - Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan St., Indiana, Purdue, Illinois

West - Oregon, Washington, Southern Cal, UCLA, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern

Seems pretty balanced and every major rivalry is kept as a division game except one (sorry Illinois/Northwestern)

[tazzmaniac]

Looks like AZ, ASU, and Utah are going to be in Big 12, leaving just 4 teams left in the PAC.  Not sure OSU and WSU will have much interest, but Stanford and Cal seem like they should. 

So does the Big Ten just go with 2 9 team divisions  (at least for football)

East - Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan St., Indiana, Purdue, Illinois

West - Oregon, Washington, Southern Cal, UCLA, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern

Seems pretty balanced and every major rivalry is kept as a division game except one (sorry Illinois/Northwestern)

Absolute zero interest in OSU and WSU from P5 conferences.  Academics is the only reason for any interest in Cal and Standford.  If the Big Ten doesn't take them, I don't know where they'll land. 

With the Pac12 gone, I expect they'll change the playoffs to top 5 conference champs and the best 7 at large.  They won't want 2 G5 teams in the playoffs. 

[Moranis]

Looks like AZ, ASU, and Utah are going to be in Big 12, leaving just 4 teams left in the PAC.  Not sure OSU and WSU will have much interest, but Stanford and Cal seem like they should. 

So does the Big Ten just go with 2 9 team divisions  (at least for football)

East - Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan St., Indiana, Purdue, Illinois

West - Oregon, Washington, Southern Cal, UCLA, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern

Seems pretty balanced and every major rivalry is kept as a division game except one (sorry Illinois/Northwestern)

Absolute zero interest in OSU and WSU from P5 conferences.  Academics is the only reason for any interest in Cal and Standford.  If the Big Ten doesn't take them, I don't know where they'll land. 

With the Pac12 gone, I expect they'll change the playoffs to top 5 conference champs and the best 7 at large.  They won't want 2 G5 teams in the playoffs.

Big 12 adding the Cali teams makes some sense since the conference doesn't have any Cali teams and does now stretch out to Arizona.

[Celtics2021]

Looks like AZ, ASU, and Utah are going to be in Big 12, leaving just 4 teams left in the PAC.  Not sure OSU and WSU will have much interest, but Stanford and Cal seem like they should. 

So does the Big Ten just go with 2 9 team divisions  (at least for football)

East - Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan St., Indiana, Purdue, Illinois

West - Oregon, Washington, Southern Cal, UCLA, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern

Seems pretty balanced and every major rivalry is kept as a division game except one (sorry Illinois/Northwestern)

The Big 10 was already dropping divisions prior to Oregon and Washington, and I wouldn’t expect them to change that.