The conference that college football fans across the west coast have long been familiar with, the PAC 12, will cease to exist after the end of the 2023-2024 season.
Considered to be a power 5 conference for years, the PAC 12 had many bright moments, such as the Washington Huskies being crowned National Champions in 1991, the USC Trojans national dominance in the mid 2000’s, and the Oregon Ducks influential run throughout the 2010’s and present day.
Despite this success, the “Conference of Champions” has failed to retain national relevance and consistency as of late.
According to CBS Sports, the PAC 12’s failed attempts to reach new media deals caused further instability within the conference.
In addition, many people across the nation simply preferred to draw their attention towards the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the BIG 10, which tends to produce more top 25 matchups compared to the PAC 12.
You can argue that the PAC 12 is just as entertaining to watch, especially with the arrival of Coach Deion “PrimeTime” Sanders for the Buffaloes of Colorado. However, it’s just something that league commissioners and fans alike couldn’t agree on.
USC and UCLA were the first teams to decide to leave, with them agreeing to join the Big Ten Conference in August of 2022. Oregon and Washington quickly agreed to join their Southern California foes in the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado agreed to join the Big 12 Conference in the midwest.
Only four teams have decided to stay in the PAC 12 for now, which include Washington State, Oregon State, Stanford, and Cal. Their futures remain uncertain, pending an official decision on what will happen to the conference.
To some this may not be the worst thing to happen, as the teams will be able to face more competitive teams and attract more national attention. However, there’s some faults to this that can be argued.
For starters, the travel miles for these teams would quickly pile up. With most of the teams in both the Big Ten and Big 12 calling the midwest home, this would mean that travel time for away games will skyrocket.
Student athletes sacrifice all of their time to commit to both their academic and athletic necessities, and this inflation in travel could prove costly to their performance on and off the field.
You could also argue that it’s something that will simply take time to adjust to, but it’s a daunting task that will unfold upon them.
It may purely be nostalgia from us as fans, but games may not feel the same with the familiar opponents we’ve seen.
Sure it might bring more national attention and money for our favorite teams, but classic rivalries such as The Big Game between Stanford and Cal or the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State may not feel the same.
No matter what does end up happening to the Pac 12, the big moments and memories made through this conference will live on forever.
