College Football: Pac-12 Conference
- Thread starter QWERTYLICIOUS
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Pac-12 gets to live on for another week.
I can think of no greater poetic end to this realignment travesty than the Huskies bringing back one last National Title to the Conference of Champions.
Well, maybe if it was the Cougars or Beavers, but this’ll do.
Hopefully when all the conferences eventually merge into a single super conference, we’ll get a Pac-12 (or 10 or 8) Division of Champions and can pretend this all never happened.
I can think of no greater poetic end to this realignment travesty than the Huskies bringing back one last National Title to the Conference of Champions.
Well, maybe if it was the Cougars or Beavers, but this’ll do.
Hopefully when all the conferences eventually merge into a single super conference, we’ll get a Pac-12 (or 10 or 8) Division of Champions and can pretend this all never happened.
Rooting for UW. I think the Pac acquitted itself well over bowl season. Cal wasn't a huge shocker. Utah I am guessing (didn't watch) had a bunch of sit outs. OSU did not deserve their fate and I am very sad for them.
The teams that actually played played well. Save for some horrible decision making by UW at the end (and what seems like a really unfortunate rule that would in the future benefit a team attempting to injure players - not to mention they got at least 3 more plays because of clock adjustments/not running off time).
Now that all of these top athletes are basically pros, I say if you take NIL you either play your bowl game or you pay it back. Also coaches should stay at their jobs until bowl season is over and the transfer portal should also only open after Jan 1 at the earliest.
The teams that actually played played well. Save for some horrible decision making by UW at the end (and what seems like a really unfortunate rule that would in the future benefit a team attempting to injure players - not to mention they got at least 3 more plays because of clock adjustments/not running off time).
Now that all of these top athletes are basically pros, I say if you take NIL you either play your bowl game or you pay it back. Also coaches should stay at their jobs until bowl season is over and the transfer portal should also only open after Jan 1 at the earliest.
And so the Pac-12 goes out with a whimper.
I mean, as much of a whimper as playing for a National Championship in the final game of the season can be.
Now the team that was caught cheating, punished for cheating, and somehow turned that punishment into an “us versus them” triumph over adversity narrative is the undefeated, undisputed champion of college football set to welcome its opponent into the conference next season.
Perhaps that is an even more fitting end to this saga than the alternative. Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.
… And I guess, “good” also has trouble sustaining long drives with a mid-range passing game in the face of relentless QB pressure, and can’t consistently defend the run.
By the way, just how football-centric is our thinking that we’re collectively declaring the Pac-12 dead and gone even as something like 20 sports, including Men’s and Women’s Basketball, will be carrying the conference banner into June?
See you all in the gym as the Red Rocks, Bruins, Bears, and Beavers battle for the Pac-12 crown and a legitimate shot at a national gymnastics title before they’re all dispersed into different conferences next year as well.
I mean, as much of a whimper as playing for a National Championship in the final game of the season can be.
Now the team that was caught cheating, punished for cheating, and somehow turned that punishment into an “us versus them” triumph over adversity narrative is the undefeated, undisputed champion of college football set to welcome its opponent into the conference next season.
Perhaps that is an even more fitting end to this saga than the alternative. Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.
… And I guess, “good” also has trouble sustaining long drives with a mid-range passing game in the face of relentless QB pressure, and can’t consistently defend the run.
By the way, just how football-centric is our thinking that we’re collectively declaring the Pac-12 dead and gone even as something like 20 sports, including Men’s and Women’s Basketball, will be carrying the conference banner into June?
See you all in the gym as the Red Rocks, Bruins, Bears, and Beavers battle for the Pac-12 crown and a legitimate shot at a national gymnastics title before they’re all dispersed into different conferences next year as well.
I mean my final Pac-12 season of personal care is going on right now.
And I get to keep on hating the B1G and SEC while enjoying what looks like it is about to become the premiere basketball conference in the nation next year. Thank you much.
anyways, I thought the Huskies had fight. Obviously the score at the end was not indicative that it was 20-17 and the Huskies appeared to have the momentum. I was listening on the Huskies radio feed when there was an offensive hold that ruined a 30 yard pass for UW. They were going nuts about how BS it was. No idea if so, but it was interesting that for few penalties it seems the refs lets some go UM's way. Another they pointed out was that UW got a punt off while UM had 12 men on the field during the snap that should have given them a first down and refs looked the other way. Since I didn't watch I don't know the veracity of either claim.
I s'pose I am neutral on Michigan. Beats Alabama or Texas winning.
And I get to keep on hating the B1G and SEC while enjoying what looks like it is about to become the premiere basketball conference in the nation next year. Thank you much.
anyways, I thought the Huskies had fight. Obviously the score at the end was not indicative that it was 20-17 and the Huskies appeared to have the momentum. I was listening on the Huskies radio feed when there was an offensive hold that ruined a 30 yard pass for UW. They were going nuts about how BS it was. No idea if so, but it was interesting that for few penalties it seems the refs lets some go UM's way. Another they pointed out was that UW got a punt off while UM had 12 men on the field during the snap that should have given them a first down and refs looked the other way. Since I didn't watch I don't know the veracity of either claim.
I s'pose I am neutral on Michigan. Beats Alabama or Texas winning.
This is gonna be...interesting. And a bit weird as well.
Link to ESPN.com Article: Boise State among 4 schools joining Pac-12 for 2026-27 season
Link to ESPN.com Article: Boise State among 4 schools joining Pac-12 for 2026-27 season
So far they have picked the right schools to try to make a splash in football. We'll see who they can land to round out the conference to at least 8 (and we'll see if they can continue being the only conference that actually has the common sense to change their name when the number of teams in the conference changes!) But my concern going forward will certainly be that the leadership of the PAC has been universally...awful for decades now. Case in point, in an era where all the major conferences but one have an affiliated television network that is widely available on all cable/streaming platforms, guess which one couldn't pull that off? So I'll remain skeptical for now. Hopefully the recent exodus caused all the incompetence to fly the coop and they've got better people in charge now.
Up in the PacNW the B1G network can't get it sorted with Comcast so people are sailing the high seas to watch Ducks and Huskies. It's nice for me as it looks like ESPN+ is the way for all Wildcats games that aren't national - not sure if this applies to basketball which obviously is a much bigger deal for a Zona fan.
Obviously won't work with an 8 team conference but aren't all OSU and WSU games being broadcast on CW this year?
I agree there's a lot they have to sort out but since it doesn't impact "my" team I don't really care anymore. It's just a matter of OSU is still for the time being the closest high level football program I have the option of seeing and also an easier ticket than UO, UW or the seachickens.
Obviously won't work with an 8 team conference but aren't all OSU and WSU games being broadcast on CW this year?
I agree there's a lot they have to sort out but since it doesn't impact "my" team I don't really care anymore. It's just a matter of OSU is still for the time being the closest high level football program I have the option of seeing and also an easier ticket than UO, UW or the seachickens.
I, too, don't necessarily mind the schools they picked. My issue is, though, that I am not quite sure if they're doing enough, or they're going to do enough, to retain my interest in the conference as a whole. I have been a Stanford fan since I can remember. But have always had interest in seeing how and what the other schools in the conference have done. Now that Stanford's out of the conference, I am not quite sure if enough is being done to keep me interested in the happenings amongst all of the teams involved.
Now, if Stanford ever finds a way back into the conference, that's obviously gonna be a different story.
Now, if Stanford ever finds a way back into the conference, that's obviously gonna be a different story.
If they can consistently put one or two teams into the CFP then it works for me. It's no longer my primary conference. I'm slowly embracing the Big 12 (which is set up to be a phenomenal hoops conference that my hoops school hopefully can compete in football wise). But if I'm watching the Arizona game and it ends and a Pac-8/12 whatever they will call themselves game is still going I am certainly going to switch over to it to end the night.
Link to ESPN.com Article: Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join Pac-12 for 2026 season
Maybe they will add it like Sac State will go FCS (more importantly they need a gym that houses more than like 100 spectators to play other sports in).
Weird thing is the new Pac and the new Mountain West are gonna wind up worse than if whoever swallowed their pride enough to let OSU and WSU into the MW and rename it to the PAC. But whatever.
anywho... the Pac-12 Afterlife in the Dark games are fun but my newfound Husky hating is having too much fun with this announcement 9am(!!!):
Weird thing is the new Pac and the new Mountain West are gonna wind up worse than if whoever swallowed their pride enough to let OSU and WSU into the MW and rename it to the PAC. But whatever.
anywho... the Pac-12 Afterlife in the Dark games are fun but my newfound Husky hating is having too much fun with this announcement 9am(!!!):
The Aztecs and Zags in the Pac 12 together is something of a fever dream for me; SDSU is my alma mater and my family is from Spokane. At least one of my March brackets every year has them facing each other in the finals. Not that bad a bet recently.
But even in saying this new Pac 12 is built on the foundation of my own personal rooting interests, I can acknowledge it's not even a shadow of the former Conference of Champions. Nor was it aspiring to be. But there is a clear vision to be the Best of the Rest Conference and separate themselves from the Group of Five. - The Conference of Consolations if you will.
The Pac tried to bring together some of the most valuable schools in the MW (SDSU, Colorado State, Fresno State, Boise State) and AAC (Memphis, Tulane, USF, UTSA) to make a Frankenstein's monster conference that is wonky, non-regional, and basically ridiculous, but at least interesting. Throw in Gonzaga and it's certainly better and more exciting than the Mountain West simply adding WSU and OSU in a "reverse merger" for all that's worth.
So the Pac whiffs on the AAC teams with an inital low ball "take it or leave it" offer, settles for Utah State instead of UNLV, and gets a "thanks but no thanks" from UConn. Does not diminish that the Pac 12 is a single school away from being a legitimate conference again with some very real power in their ranks after being fully pronounced dead and buried a year ago.
Maybe they punt and add Texas State just to offically lock in the conference quota and get the ball rolling on the media rights negotiations. Or maybe they do go with ... wow, really, Sac State? Dream big Hornets - Stingers Up. (Honestly, if raidiing the Big Sky conference is the play here, I'd go for UC Davis and Cal Poly to be the token presitgious academic schools, and break up the run of 8 State schools and Gonzaga.)
But I wouldn't be surprised if they go back to the AAC teams, or at the very least Memphis, and sweeten the offer. Memphis AD outright said they rejected the offer because the money was too low, but if those numbers became more favorable, he's waiting by the phone. Pac reportedly offered each team $2.5 million to cover the exit fees. Maybe offering just Memphis $10 million gets the Tigers to reconsider.
In the end, it's been messy and gross, but it's good to have a loved one back from the dead.
Even if it's taken some weird science and grave robbing to make it happen.
But even in saying this new Pac 12 is built on the foundation of my own personal rooting interests, I can acknowledge it's not even a shadow of the former Conference of Champions. Nor was it aspiring to be. But there is a clear vision to be the Best of the Rest Conference and separate themselves from the Group of Five. - The Conference of Consolations if you will.
The Pac tried to bring together some of the most valuable schools in the MW (SDSU, Colorado State, Fresno State, Boise State) and AAC (Memphis, Tulane, USF, UTSA) to make a Frankenstein's monster conference that is wonky, non-regional, and basically ridiculous, but at least interesting. Throw in Gonzaga and it's certainly better and more exciting than the Mountain West simply adding WSU and OSU in a "reverse merger" for all that's worth.
So the Pac whiffs on the AAC teams with an inital low ball "take it or leave it" offer, settles for Utah State instead of UNLV, and gets a "thanks but no thanks" from UConn. Does not diminish that the Pac 12 is a single school away from being a legitimate conference again with some very real power in their ranks after being fully pronounced dead and buried a year ago.
Maybe they punt and add Texas State just to offically lock in the conference quota and get the ball rolling on the media rights negotiations. Or maybe they do go with ... wow, really, Sac State? Dream big Hornets - Stingers Up. (Honestly, if raidiing the Big Sky conference is the play here, I'd go for UC Davis and Cal Poly to be the token presitgious academic schools, and break up the run of 8 State schools and Gonzaga.)
But I wouldn't be surprised if they go back to the AAC teams, or at the very least Memphis, and sweeten the offer. Memphis AD outright said they rejected the offer because the money was too low, but if those numbers became more favorable, he's waiting by the phone. Pac reportedly offered each team $2.5 million to cover the exit fees. Maybe offering just Memphis $10 million gets the Tigers to reconsider.
In the end, it's been messy and gross, but it's good to have a loved one back from the dead.
Even if it's taken some weird science and grave robbing to make it happen.
Having a slightly smaller 5000~12,000 seat arena would also just help the Sacramento region in general draw medium-level acts that can’t fill out G1C but are still too big to go to the Memorial Auditorium or whatever. Using G1C for nationally televised games or whatever makes sense but not sure it makes sense long term for Vivek to be turning down concert tours so the Sac State women’s team can host Boise State on a random Wednesday night or something.
Not that NHL to Sacramento is happening but would presumably also kill any chance.
Boston University's hockey arena hosts AEW regularly (while BU plays at least 2 games a year at the Garden) so definitely it's not unheard of for a scenario like the above happening. Would be great for Sac State students to if they got some discounted concerts or what not?
Boston University's hockey arena hosts AEW regularly (while BU plays at least 2 games a year at the Garden) so definitely it's not unheard of for a scenario like the above happening. Would be great for Sac State students to if they got some discounted concerts or what not?