New PAC-12 Forming

[nelsonmuntz]

Colorado State, Utah State suing Mountain West Conference over exit fees

Mired in a realignment struggle for members, the Pac-12 and Mountain West are at the center of the latest conference realignment shakeup.

sports.yahoo.com

Do you realize that if you get your way, and there is only a P2, there won’t be enough fans left to justify having the P2? Put another way, if college sports shrinks the number of schools playing by enough, even the fans of those schools won’t care anymore.

 

[Rufus]

Do you realize that if you get your way, and there is only a P2, there won’t be enough fans left to justify having the P2? Put another way, if college sports shrinks the number of schools playing by enough, even the fans of those schools won’t care anymore.

What is "my way" exactly? I'd love to hear this one.

I also can't wait to see how you tie it back to Colorado State and Utah State suing the MW over exit fees.

 

[Rufus]

Baseball schedules are out. Oregon State opted to go independent and Washington State opted to join the MW in baseball this year.

Here are the schedules:

2025 Baseball Schedule - Oregon State University Athletics

The official 2025 Baseball schedule for the Oregon State University Beavers

osubeavers.com

2025 Baseball Schedule (PDF) - Washington State University Athletics

2025 Baseball Schedule (PDF)

wsucougars.com

Some interesting tidbits............

Both will play multiple B1G teams, with Oregon State playing quite a few B1G teams. Oregon State is stacked with P4 opponents.

Indiana @ College Baseball Classic
Minnesota @ Karbach Round Rock Classic
Ohio State @ College Baseball Series benefiting Shriners Children's
vs. Rutgers
vs. Washington
@ Nebraska
@ Nebraska
@ Nebraska
@ UCLA
@ Oregon
@ Oregon
@ Oregon
vs. Oregon
@ Iowa
@ Iowa
@ Iowa

That is a 16 game B1G schedule for the Beavers. As a comparison, a B1G full schedule is 30 games, so that is over half a season of B1G games.

Former PAC-12 schools Washington and UCLA are on the schedule with 1 game each. Oregon 4 games. No other former PAC-12 school appears on the Beavers schedule except for a 2-game series vs. Washington State

The Beavers play the Ducks 4 times, but 3 of those games are in Eugene, and only 1 in Corvallis.

The Beavers squeezed in a game with Rutgers prior to the start of the 3 game Rutgers @ Oregon series.

The schedule is loaded with traditional baseball powers (Virginia, Auburn, Oklahoma, Baylor), including western powers below the P4 level.


Washington State has a full MW schedule. The Cougars schedule isn't as daunting and has fewer P4 opponents. Outside of a 4 game road trip to Arkansas, the Cougars only play vs. Michigan State and vs. UCLA at the Kleberg Bank College Classic and then a 4 game series vs. Iowa in Texas. And then a 2-game series @ Oregon State for the only other former PAC-12 school on the calendar outside of the UCLA game. No games with the Huskies were scheduled.

 

[Vowelguy]

Weird that we dont seem to have heard anything about the PAC's 8th football school.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Weird that we dont seem to have heard anything about the PAC's 8th football school.

With this new plan from the P4 (apparently they’re now the A4) it makes little to no sense for us to join a non-power conference unless it’s football-only with no major exit penalty. But you’re right you’d think the new PAC would be more aggressive.

 

[Vowelguy]

With this new plan from the P4 (apparently they’re now the A4) it makes little to no sense for us to join a non-power conference unless it’s football-only with no major exit penalty. But you’re right you’d think the new PAC would be more aggressive.

I wasn’t even thinking of UConn; just more generally that they’ve been stuck at 7 teams for months .

 

[UConnTrumbull]

I wasn’t even thinking of UConn; just more generally that they’ve been stuck at 7 teams for months .

I think the new PAC is in a tough spot. Are they gonna shell out millions to get Memphis and Tulane out of any potential exit fees? Probably not. I'm not really sure what other moves they can make at this point that do much to move the needle.

 

[Rufus]

I think the PAC said they are concentrating on a new media rights deal first and then adding schools after it’s known what the contract will be.

 

[ScottVib]

The Pac is holding out hopes that they'll get good news on media rights and that, that will be enough to sway Memphis/Tulane. If not they go into desperation mode (and they shouldn't have cheaped out on buy out offers of the AAC fees, considering their covering the MWC fees for those members).

 

[Zissou]

PAC should stay Texas or west for its 8th full member. They have time to be selective.

Then they stay at the minimum of 8 and don’t dilute further.

Instead, facilitate the eastern division of affiliate football-only members.

This arrangement fills the schedules, allows for an East vs West conference championship, and doesn’t dilute the PAC full membership.

Big East Football - a PAC affiliate

Army - Patriot (FB only)
Navy - Patriot (FB only)
UConn - Big East (FB only)
Nova - Big East (FB only)
Temple - Big East (FB only)
UMass - A10 (FB only)
Delaware - A10 (FB only)
USF - Big East (FB only)

We bring in Temple and USF as full Big East members as an added incentive. UMass and UD to the A10. Army and Navy stay Patriot.

The Memphis and Tulane footprint is less desirable.

Maybe with this plan the PAC adds Air Force as a full member and has the prestige of three service academies.

 

[Zissou]

PAC West
Washington State
Oregon State
Boise State
Colorado State
Utah State
San Diego State
Fresno State
Air Force

Big East
Army - Patriot (FB only)
Navy - Patriot (FB only)
UConn - Big East (FB only)
Nova - Big East (FB only)
Temple - Big East (FB only)
UMass - A10 (FB only)
Delaware - A10 (FB only)
USF - Big East (FB only)

 

[Fishy]

And we’re back to the loons proposing wildly unrealistic conferences.

 

[Huskygrad88]

And we’re back to the loons proposing wildly unrealistic conferences.

As if the reality of Cal and Stanford in the ACC was wildly realistic.

 

[Zissou]

And we’re back to the loons proposing wildly unrealistic conferences.

Isn’t this the designated section of the yard for that?

 

[ZooCougar]

Isn’t this the designated section of the yard for that?

Yeah but it’s always really cringey.

 

[Hondo 77]

Isn’t this the designated section of the yard for that?

You have a point.

 

[CL82]

And we’re back to the loons proposing wildly unrealistic conferences.

 

[Stray_Dog]

JUST WOW, so with the ridiculousness of what has been posted here thus far, I thought I should propose a brand new idea. I mean it is with humor that I suggest this very real possibility. ND and UConn form a two team conference. They call it the I-2. This conference would put the I in team sports for all the other selfish conferences to follow. We would be the true P-2! And FWIW when this happens each fan from each of these teams would receive a gold plated aluminum hat - I mean this idea is so far out there I know THEY are watching us!

 

[Stinger92860]

At some point, I will likely be pushing up daisies by then, but it could be next year too, I believe there will be separate National Level conferences for Football and Basketball (M/W) with independent media contracts.

The rest of the sports go back to the regional model. You will still have the B1G and SEC for regional. I also do not think every SEC/B1G school makes the cut for football and basketball and some schools are delegated to what is currently the G5. Maybe there is a promotion/delegation system put in place but not for the big schools.

 

[Zissou]

PAC West
Washington State
Oregon State
Boise State
Colorado State
Utah State
San Diego State
Fresno State
Air Force

Big East
Army - Patriot (FB only)
Navy - Patriot (FB only)
UConn - Big East (FB only)
Nova - Big East (FB only)
Temple - Big East (FB only)
UMass - A10 (FB only)
Delaware - A10 (FB only)
USF - Big East (FB only)

UConn and Nova need to be the catalyst with the PAC.

With agreement on a Big East affiliate division, next is UMass / Delaware and Temple / USF. Temple / USF get the added draw of a Big East invite. Like UConn, they take the better TV deal, but unlike UConn they have a ready home for football.

With the Big East Division established, the final pull is Army and Navy, packaged with the PAC inviting Air Force.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Isn’t this the designated section of the yard for that?

Yeah but it’s always really cringey.

I believe Groucho had a quote about this situation.

 

[gioff2323]

UConn and Nova need to be the catalyst with the PAC.

With agreement on a Big East affiliate division, next is UMass / Delaware and Temple / USF. Temple / USF get the added draw of a Big East invite. Like UConn, they take the better TV deal, but unlike UConn they have a ready home for football.

With the Big East Division established, the final pull is Army and Navy, packaged with the PAC inviting Air Force.

I think you should’ve ended this thought with the word many such thoughts concluded back in the 80s ……. eer!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Yeah but it’s always really cringey.

Almost as cringey as constantly regurgitating the same predictions of UConn’s athletic demise, which have been made on a monthly basis by a big chunk of Boneyard posters since February 2003.

Other than the 5 men’s and 7 women’s championships, along with various and sundry Final Fours, Sweet 16’s, a Fiesta Bowl appearance, and generally 22 years of mostly awesome basketball, the Big East haters have nailed it. In fact, the only time UConn got into real serious trouble over that stretch was when it listened to the haters and stayed in the AAC way past its sell-by date, almost destroying the athletic program.

There are maybe 10 college fan bases that wouldn’t trade their last 22 years for our last 22 years. Boneyarders need to stop their bitching.

 

[shizzle787]

The eighth team is looking like Texas State. Don't think they will be able to poach any AAC programs.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

The eighth team is looking like Texas State. Don't think they will be able to poach any AAC programs.

Yeah a lot of noise on Twitter today about Texas State. I mean, kinda meh, but not a terrible move either I guess.