Both the Pac-12 and the Mountain West conferences are in danger of extinction.
The Pac-12, with its leaders incompetence in getting a lucrative TV deal, has already lost USC and UCLA to the Big 10. It has now lost Colorado to the Big 12.
There are rumors that the Big 10 also wants to add Oregon, Washington, Stanford, and Cal (Berkeley). All prestige schools with elite teams in various sports. Oregon has the Nike connection, and the other 3 are located in major media markets.
And there are also rumors that the Big 12 wants to add Utah, Arizona and Arizona State. The Big 12 is already going to add BYU, I think for sure Utah is joining too.
If all that happens, Oregon State and Washington State are on their own.
IF the Pac-12 wants to survive, the best thing it could do is merge with the Moutain West, being that
- it's in the same part of the country
- Mountain West already has some strong mid-major teams like Boise State and San Diego State
- Mountain West also has some places players would like to travel (Hawaii, Nevada-Las Vegas)
- Air Force Academy comes with a devoted national fan base as the Air Force has bases nationwide (and worldwide).
The merged Mountain West/Pac-12 that I'm thinking about may not have the prestige of the SEC or the Big 10, but I think it can still be an exciting conference for mid-major teams with great rivalries like
- UNLV vs Nevada-Reno
- Hawaii vs Fresno State
- Oregon State vs Washington State
- Boise State vs San Diego State
- Wyoming vs Colorado State
Who knows, maybe this merged conference can be so good that it can be THE premier mid-major conference.
After all, not every player can be recruited by the SEC or Big 10 teams, and the the merged Pac-12/Mountain West can be the premier destination for under-rated talent. Also, some players might rather be on a winning mid-major team than on a team on the bottom of the major conferences. And there's always going to be players who just want to play for the home team and wouldn't trade that opportunity for the bright lights far away in a major conference.
So if the Pac-12 leadership was smart, they should just contact the Mountain West and ask for a merger.
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PS: Or better yet, Mountain West should just invite the Pac-12 leftovers!
The Pac-12 negotiating a media deal with Apple TV, where fans are expected to watch via streaming? Junk it already! You'll get more viewers on real TV, not streaming! The other conferences know that!
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Sources:
The following article was where I got the idea about having the Pac-12 and Mountain West merge.
Sjarif Goldstein, “ Pac-12 Seems to Be Sinking to UH’s Level.” Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 31,2023. https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/07/31/sports/pac-12-seems-to-be-sinking-to-uhs-level/.
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The following articles focus on Big 10 and Big 12 adding schools from the Pac-12
Dan Wetzel, “Sources: Big Ten Has Begun Preliminary Talks to Potentially Add Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford,” Yahoo! Sports, August 2, 2023
Also, here my blog post from last year about UCLA and USC leaving the Pac-12
