SuperMetroid
- Evanston
Seriously, does anyone have any idea what that could possibly be?
Conference Realignment, Naming Rights, Financing
Realignment: The past, present and future battle for college football supremacy
Mapping out the major realignments in college football ahead of the 2024 season, how we got here and what's next.www.espn.com
IMO, the structure of this puts the SEC and BIG at each other's throats. You have 5 guaranteed slots, and 7 invites that will be very loudly debated. Don't get me wrong, I think a 12 team playoff with guaranteed slots is a much better model, but I do think the tension over the invites will be greater the deeper the invites go.
Joel Goodson
- dawgville
wasn't sure where to put this, decided this fits best:
I'm in the opposite camp. I think we're in a golden age. I've seen college football go from voting for champs, dark money and rampant cheating, to a lousy 2 team playoff (not much better), to a 4 team playoff (much better) to the current 12 team playoff where elite players that risk their bodies and devote themselves to the sport can get a share of the huge entertainment dollars. I think it's more likely that the super-conferences will run things better, and the group of 5 champ deserves a seat at the playoff table.
Problems along the way --sure, plenty. Do I think the people in charge will screw things up eventually? Magic 8-ball says probably and ask again later.
Sources: Pac-12 rebuilding conference, targeting Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State
The Pac-12 is mobilizing its long-discussed plan to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West Conference.
sports.yahoo.com
I don’t see a lot of excitement for a PAC-6 with Washington State, Oregon State, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State. The Cream of the Mountain West? Who do they add after that; Stanford and Cal when the ACC blows up? Yawn.
It’s a forward looking move. Soon there will be two power conferences which will comprise the “top division” in CFB. Then there will be a second tier, which will be primarily the remnants of the Big 12 and ACC. The PAC-TBD could position themselves to be a third conference in that second tier. What those six schools and I’m sure a handful of others definitely don’t want is to drop down into the inevitable third tier with the MAC, AAC, MWC, SBC etc programs. You can’t be on the same level as Temple, Kennesaw St, Utah St, Troy, Akron. That’s just revenue death.
I’d guess the next move for the PAC-? will be to poach Memphis and Tulane maybe. Try to form a solid 8 team core and then see what else falls out.
Exciting? No. Organic? No. Competitive with the Big 12? Not even close. Competitive with each other internally? Yes, those schools are all pretty evenly aligned. But the important thing is to separate yourself from the rabble below. That matters way more than catching up with those ahead (which is impossible anyway).
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Sources: Pac-12 rebuilding conference, targeting Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State
The Pac-12 is mobilizing its long-discussed plan to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West Conference.
Boise State among 4 joining Pac-12 for 2026-27
Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State will join the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year, they announced Thursday.
Serious Late
- Peoria via Denver via Ann Arbor via Albuquerque vi
I'm mad (UNM MBA, '13 here). I just don't see the remnants of the ACC on the west coast racing back to join up with other MW schools. When Cal, Stanford, BC, Duke, etc. ultimately get left behind, OSU and Washington State are headed toward those programs, not the other way around. There will be enough ACC leftover to backfill with OSU and WSU.
Then the old MWC schools get to save the PAC-12 and invite whomever they want... sorry Bronco.
Then the old MWC schools get to save the PAC-12 and invite whomever they want... sorry Bronco.
"PAC-TBD". Love it.
reading the article, says they have to get to 8 by 2026 when there short term exception runs out...so seems like they have left room for Cal/Stanford just in case. I expect they know they can grab 2 more MWC anytime they want, but this solves much of the short term scheduling that fell apart with the MWC.
thinking if nothing better happens they may chose to take the rest of the MWC for buyout reasons. The current deal seems to have a penalty to the PAC for poaching MWC teams & an exit fee for members, so at that point it might make more sense to take all over poaching another 2. But expect Cal/Stanford is the preferred path to get to the 8 minimum.
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Epsilon
M tipping over
- Pdx
This was always the logical next step, and the best choices available in the MW.Boise State among 4 joining Pac-12 for 2026-27
Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State will join the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year, they announced Thursday.www.espn.com
NASchamp
- Atlanta
But it's so convienant! How many times do you find yourself walking past a football player with full pads on and think "Man, I really wish I could give them some NIL money!"..... Well, now you can just scan their helmet and pay up!
An additional thought here:
By taking just 4 from MWC, it leaves both 2 spaces for Cal/Stanford depending how ACC plays out; but also leaves MWC with their 8 minimum for FBS status
Takes some of the pressure off the MWC to add an immediate addition that may dilute the overall value if PAC-? decides it is a better decision to eat the rest of the MWC and avoid buyouts & penalties vs taking just 2 more to get to 8.
By taking just 4 from MWC, it leaves both 2 spaces for Cal/Stanford depending how ACC plays out; but also leaves MWC with their 8 minimum for FBS status
Takes some of the pressure off the MWC to add an immediate addition that may dilute the overall value if PAC-? decides it is a better decision to eat the rest of the MWC and avoid buyouts & penalties vs taking just 2 more to get to 8.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Actually looks pretty random, lol. Included some teams that get really bad TV ratings like Nevada, ECU and Fresno State while excluding a couple massive fan bases like Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Penn State, Notre Dame, etc.Interesting who made the cut here...wonder what their decision criteria was? Maybe just straight largest markets for potential sales, or maybe a tie in to programs that have beverage contracts to sell their product at campus stadium events?
Bud Light rolls out limited-edition college football team cans: See which 26 teams made the cut
Bud Light is celebrating the return of college football season with limited-edition college team cans. Here's which teams' cans you can buy.www.usatoday.com
As an Oregon State fan, this is the best thing for them and WSU. The only other real option was to wait around and hope a power conference invited them down the road. That sure didn’t look like it was going to happen and eliminating uncertainty had to happen. Plus, as others have pointed out, losing an automatic bid to CFP would have been a killer. Better to be proactive and make the best of where they are at right now in the landscape. Will this create another power conference? No. But the result will be a good conference now just below the top ones, and keeps them at least on the fringes of relevancy and in a better position for future shake ups.
Go Beavs.
Go Beavs.
I as well have a hard time seeing Cal and Stanford doing that. I think the academic prestige of places like Fresno State compared to associating themselves with Duke and UVA would be tough for them. Of course, common sense logistics may become a factor again . . . never say never.
IlliniSaluki
- IL metro east burbs of St. Louis
You know with the PAC expanding into a G5 conference.. I'm not mad. I don't mind this one bit at all. Depending on who else they bring in (they have to at least bring in 2 more for FBS conference status) they could end up being the best G5 conference out their and that's not a bad landing after the implosion of the conference the past few years.
I have no idea on who is realistically an option but I would say these are the schools I would look at for more expansion:
Hawaii
UNLV (if they can be split from Nevada)
Utah State
Memphis
Tulane
UTSA
IF the ACC implodes:
Cal
Stanford
SMU
It could end up a pretty good and competitive conference for the schools in it.
again.. I'm not mad at this.
I have no idea on who is realistically an option but I would say these are the schools I would look at for more expansion:
Hawaii
UNLV (if they can be split from Nevada)
Utah State
Memphis
Tulane
UTSA
IF the ACC implodes:
Cal
Stanford
SMU
It could end up a pretty good and competitive conference for the schools in it.
again.. I'm not mad at this.