If the Pac-12's description of itself as a 100-year-old startup is going to mean anything, the clearest early evidence might come in the final week of the football season.
The conference has designated Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and Washington State as home teams for four games on Nov. 28. But who they will play will not be decided until as late as a week before the games are played.
Those flex week games will be treated as nonconference matchups and will not affect which teams advance to the Pac-12 championship game. Instead, the league will have the freedom to pair teams according to what it believes is in the conference's best interest at that moment. College Football Playoff positioning will be at the top of that list. If the Pac-12 has an undefeated team in playoff contention, perhaps the league determines that protecting its record is most valuable. In another scenario, that same team might need a stronger opponent to improve its strength of schedule. And the considerations will not always involve the playoff. If two teams enter the final weekend at 5-6, for example, matching them against each other would guarantee the conference another bowl-eligible team.
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