Pac-12 Shakeup: A dramatic change to college sports leagues occurred in a “epochal” week. This alteration could alter appearance. The Pacific Coast Conference became the Pacific-12 Conference in 1915. Its revered moniker may be gone forever, threatening its future. Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah are leaving the Pac-12 to join the prestigious Big 12. On Friday night, the Big 12 announced that these three elite institutions will join in 2024.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark was thrilled to welcome Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah in his formal statement. The conference is delighted to work with presidents, athletic directors, student-athletes, and administrators from these academically and athletically excellent schools.
Six teams are leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big 12 and Big Ten, threatening its dominance. After the Wildcats, Sun Devils, and Utes followed Colorado’s lead and joined the Big 12, and Washington and
Oregon announced they would join the Big Ten, only four teams remain in the fading Pac-12 conference. The fading league’s top schools are California, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State.
All Pac-12 supportersstudent-athletes, fans, grads, and staffare devastated by this fundamental restructuring. The Conference of Champions has been their passion for over 100 years. Even if they
didn’t get credit for it, the Pac-12 expressed regret over this disappointing turn of events and reiterated their unshakeable commitment to ensuring the greatest future for each of their surviving member universities.
Because the Pac-12’s immediate objectives and ability to negotiate huge broadcast rights deals are unclear, other conference members may consider alternate ways to realign the teams.
The Big 12 replaced the national names that left with more schools and teams from other regions in the last year of realignment. This shows the meeting’s strength throughout. The Big 12 is stronger after
Brigham Young, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston signed. Next summer, the SEC will have 16 solid teams when Oklahoma and Texas leave.
Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pac-12 in 1978 from the Border and Western Athletic Conferences. Their history are a tapestry with numerous threads. The Wildcats were successful in football in the
1980s and 1990s, but they haven’t won since 2016. The Wildcats have been a top basketball team for decades. However, the Sun Devils men’s basketball team hasn’t reached the same heights, and their football team has only had brief success, including going to the Rose Bowl in 1997 and four bowl games in the last four seasons combined.
Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011. This makes the Utes an example of league football domination. They’ve won the conference title the last two years, indicating they’re a top team. They will play BYU, which
departed the Mountain West Conference in 2010 and played football independently until recently, as part of their comeback to playing opponents from the same state.
College athletics are swapping rivals and forming new collaborations after this historic reform. College athletics will evolve over time.
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Our Reader’s Queries
Why is the Pac-12 breaking up?
The Pac-12’s downfall can be attributed to its failure to keep up with other major college sports conferences in the lucrative industry. ESPN, Fox, and other networks place great value on the broadcasting rights for college football and basketball games, and the Pac-12’s inability to compete in this area has significantly impacted its position in the market.
What happens to Pac-12 in 2024?
Cal and Stanford are set to join the ACC, leaving Oregon State and Washington State to fend for themselves in the Pac-12. The two schools have filed for a temporary restraining order from the conference and are expected to operate as a two-team conference starting in 2024.
Is Pac-12 basketball dissolving?
This upcoming season marks the final college basketball season for the current Pac-12 setup. With the impending dissolution of the conference, big changes are on the horizon for the sport. The decision to restructure the conference was driven by the desire to boost earnings from TV deals centered around football. As a result, the future of college basketball will be shaped by these significant shifts in the sports landscape.
Who is moving out of the Pac-12?
Earlier this month, the Big Ten enticed Oregon and Washington to join their ranks. This move comes just over a year after Southern California and UCLA made waves by announcing their departure from the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten in 2024, signaling a shift in power from the West Coast to the East.