Over the past few years, college football has undergone numerous changes. Players are now getting paid, politicians and lawyers are now involved with the game we love, and don’t even get me started on the transfer portal.
However, one thing that has stood out to me is the realignment. It has been a contentious issue for years, and it appears there is no end in sight. I recall a few years ago when Texas and Oklahoma announced their decision to join the SEC. It sent shockwaves through the sport, and at one point, I wasn’t sure if the Big 12 would survive.
Less than a year later, the Pac-12 found itself in a similar situation when USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington announced they were leaving for the Big Ten. And while the Big 12 added four new schools and secured a TV deal when Brett Yormark became commissioner, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff sat on his hands and did nothing.
In less than three years under Kliavkoff’s direction, USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon announced their intent to join the Big Ten; Cal and Stanford joined the ACC; and Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Arizona State decided to join the Big 12. Additionally, he failed to secure a media rights deal.
To say that George played a significant role in the Pac-12’s collapse would be an understatement. As of this very moment, all that is left of the conference of champions (RIP Bill Walton) is Oregon State and Washington State. No disrespect to those two schools, but those aren’t exactly what I would call flagship programs to build a conference around.
However, it appears that the Pac-12 is doing just that. After raiding the Mountain West Conference, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Fresno State will be joining Washington State and Oregon State next season.
However, there was one minor issue with the Pac-12 having only seven schools. To operate as a conference in the FBS, you must have at least eight schools. So what did Commissioner Teresa Gould do? She found an eighth member at Texas State.
Coming in from the Sun Belt Conference, Texas State is a very interesting school. While it is by far the furthest school geographically from the Pacific coast, it certainly wasn’t a bad idea for the Pac-12 to tap into the state of Texas.
The school has more than 40,000 students and is situated between Austin and San Antonio, two large metropolitan areas. This has been a program that people see a lot of potential in, but the problem is that the results haven’t been there on the field.
However, that appears to be changing under head coach G.J. Kinne as the Bobcats are coming off back-to-back 8-5 football seasons, which included two bowl wins for the first time in school history.
As much as I didn’t care for the Pac-12 under George Kliavkoff, who constantly ran his mouth, I do feel bad for the two schools left behind. It’s not their fault their commissioner was a complete idiot.
The more and more I think about the Pac-12, the more I feel bad. It didn’t deserve to go out like this. Sure, it’s nice that the conference is still intact and kept the name, but to sit here and act like it’s a power conference is foolish. But in the end, I guess having a conference is better than not having one.
I wish you the best of luck, Pac-12. You will never be the same again.
