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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WVUALLEN" data-source="post: 131390086" data-attributes="member: 1112294"><a href="https://fishduck.com/2020/03/demise-of-the-pac-12-could-bring-rise-of-the-big16/">https://fishduck.com/2020/03/demise-of-the-pac-12-could-bring-rise-of-the-big16/</a>Demise of the Pac-12 Could Bring Rise of the Big16A recent article in <a href="https://theathletic.com/1652568/2020/03/04/big-12-conference-expansion-pac-12-targets-use-oregon-washington-arizona-arizona-state-ucla/">The Athletic by Andy Staples</a> outlines why the time is now for the Big 12 to raid the Pac-12 to create the Big 16.My initial reaction to the thought of the Pac-12 disbanding was utter shock. The traditionalist in me hates this. I want to preserve the conference, west coast pride, the alliance to the Rose-Bowl, the Civil War, and other rivalry games.But after careful consideration, would it really be that bad?It was just ten years ago when new Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott made a power-play to raid the Big 12 of six of its members to create the Pac-16. Oregon would now be playing Texas and Oklahoma (the crown jewels of the maneuver) regularly as conference foes. The league would arguably have been the most imposing in the country, the king of college football.Of course, it didn’t happen, Larry Scott fumbled it away as he didn’t have a contingent plan for Texas insisting on having the Longhorn Network. We fast forward to today and the Pac-12 has been transformed from the predator to the prey.But the thing is, as the prey, as the loser, after we all simultaneously take one gigantic swallow of pride, we get the poor man’s version of essentially the same thing we lost out on a decade ago. And along with it, the strength, the cash, and the prosperity of being in the most powerful conference in college football.Not a bad consolation prize.The Big 16 AlignmentPer Staples, the obvious brand name picks from the Pac-12 would be USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, while the not so obvious are Arizona and Arizona State (over Cal and Stanford). I believe he’s correct in his assertion.The Big 16 would logically breakdown into East and West divisions. I mean, no way would poor West Virginia be expected to fly to the west coast multiple times a year. I would also presume that the eastern division would like to keep the Texas and Oklahoma schools together.West: Washington, Oregon, USC, UCLA, Arizona, ASU, Kansas, Kansas State.East: Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, West Virginia.Where Would the Uninvited Go?: The Pac-12’s realignment losers would probably join a turbo-charged Mountain West or band together to start a new conference while stealing away the best of the Mountain West (Boise State, San Diego State, etc.).In which it would be right there with the AAC as the best non-Power-4 Conference (yes, Power-4). With the inevitability of an expanded College Football Playoff to eight teams, which would guarantee a bid from a non-Power-4 conference, it could seemingly provide an easier path to the playoff then remaining in a Power conference.Ask yourself this: Would it be easier for Oregon State to qualify for the CFP by winning or securing an at-large in the Big-16? Or by being the highest-rated qualifying non-Power-4 school?Seeing as how they haven’t won an outright conference championship since 1956 (or partial since 2000), I say the non-Power route.Not playing WSU, Cal, Stanford: This would be the major pain point. (With Utah and Colorado being such new additions to the Pac-12, we won’t consider them a big deal.) If the Civil War were to continue every year it would leave the Ducks with only two remaining non-conference foes. Presumably one of them would be home game against a cream-puff, and the other against a Power-4 team.This would leave little wiggle room to slide these traditional rivals in, on even an occasional basis.The Rose Bowl: Shouldn’t be a worry. I can’t imagine the Rose Bowl not aligning itself with the new Big 16 in place of the old Pac-12.A Funny Thought: Poor Colorado. They jumped ship from the Big 12 ten years ago and now could be on the outside looking in regards to being in a Power conference. Well, we all know what they say about paybacks.</blockquote>

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