The Conference of Champions is no more. Maybe for brand value the Mountain West will combine with the survivors of the former PAC 12 and keep the name but it would be a stretch to say it’s the same legendary conference that started all the way back in 1915.
While the Big 12 stands to benefit gaining Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah officially after announcing it in a statement tonight, it’s the Big 10 who are the real culprits behind the fall of the Pac 12.
It was the Big 10 who ripped the heart out of the Pac 12 by taking away UCLA, USC, and the lucrative Los Angeles television market a year ago. The Big 10 also delivered the killing blow, by adding Oregon and Washington when there was serious momentum towards Pac 12 schools all signing a grant of rights deal with the Pac 12 keeping the conference together.
However, now the Big 12 has added 4 Pac-12 schools in the last week greatly bolstering a conference many left for dead 2 years ago after the departures of OU and Texas were announced.
Here is what each school brings to the table.
Colorado Buffaloes: A sleeping power in football that may be ready to awaken with Deion Sanders on the sidelines. They also bring back old rivalries with old Big 12 opponents while keeping rivalry matchups with fellow former Pac-12 members. The Denver television market is also a bonus.
Arizona Wildcats: An elite college basketball powerhouse that fits right in with the Big 12, a hoops rivalry with the Kansas Jayhawks is bound to form immediately. However, football is lackluster but they do bring the Phoenix television market in tow.
Arizona State Sun Devils: Little brother to Arizona, the Sun Devils don’t bring much to the table other than a solid hoops program. However, it is unlikely the Arizona Board of Regents would allow the schools to separate so Little Brother gets in too.
Utah Utes: Last but not least the Utah Utes bring a powerhouse football that will instantly compete for Big 12 titles and threaten to make deep College Football playoff runs. However, their fanbase has spent the last 2 years savaging the Big 12 and their fans on social media. The school itself was dragged kicking and screaming into the conference that saved them from a trip back to the Mountain West. They will be a front-runner for the most hated school in the Big 12 taking the place of the Texas Longhorns. But hey who doesn’t love a good villain?
