Pac-12 Conference facing dire future following mass exodus
The Pac-12 dubbed itself the “Conference of Champions” for a history of athletic excellence stretching back more than 100 years.
The largest conference out West has dominated Olympic sports, went on an unprecedented run in men’s college basketball and has won more national championships than any other league.
Pac-12 alumni include some of the greatest names in sports history: Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tiger Woods and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
A run of defections has now turned the tradition-rich league into a conference of ashes.
“To think even remotely five years ago the Pac-12 would be in this position, it’s unthinkable to think that we’re here today,” Washington State football coach Jake Dickert said.
College sports has gone through monumental shifts in recent years as schools swapped conferences like trading cards.
The demise of the Pac-12 hit like a supernova: a Power Five conference dying in real time.
Southern California and UCLA kickstarted contraction last year by announcing plans to join the Big Ten.
Colorado stirred the winds of change further last week by voting to leave for the Big 12.
The Buffaloes’ bolting hastened decisions across the conference, leading to a Friday flurry of five schools defecting within hours of each other: Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12.
Left in the wake are a lame-duck 2023-24 season and a Pac-12 that’s down to a Pac-4 of California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State.
The defections were driven by football — more importantly, the money football generates.
The Big Ten has a seven-year, $7 billion media rights deal with multiple networks and the Big 12 agreed to a $2 billion deal with Fox and ESPN last year.
A long-awaited media rights deal recently presented by Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff apparently wasn’t enough to sway the conference’s at-the-time nine remaining members. Hours after Pac-12 leaders discussed the deal on Friday, five schools were headed out the door.
“Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition and rivalries of the Conference of Champions,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities.”
History could be all the Pac-12 has left.
The USC-UCLA rivalry will remain intact, albeit on a western outpost in a Midwest-based league. Same with Arizona and Arizona State, the long-running Territorial Cup spilling east.
Other rivalries are in doubt.
The Apple Cup may now turn sour, with Washington and Washington State now in different conferences.
The Civil War could be headed toward a stalemate, though Oregon said it will prioritize the long-held traditions, including competition across all sports with Oregon State.
Cal and Stanford’s first Big Game will be finding a place to land before resuming their rivalry.
