Historical past lesson time! The trendy-day amalgamation that we now know because the Pacific-12 Convention had its first actual life because the Pacific Coast Convention (PCC), and earlier than that the Athletic Affiliation of Western Universities.
The PCC was made up of, you may need guessed it, colleges close to the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific time zone:
Cal (1915–1959)
Oregon (1915–1959)
Oregon State School (now Oregon State) (1915–1959)
Washington (1915–1959)
Washington State School (now Wazzu) (1917–1959)
Stanford (1918–1959)
Idaho (1922–1959)
USC (1922–1959, suspended in 1924)
Montana (1924–1950)
UCLA (1928–1959)
Of these colleges listed above as authentic members of the PCC, some have moved on to the Large Sky, the brand new iteration of the Pac-12, and for causes deemed by the PigSkin Males who management school athletics, the ACC and the Large Ten. That’s proper. Stanford and Cal are Atlantic Coast Convention colleges now. We have now moved on from the times of having fun with regional opponents within the PNW and the state of California. UCLA and USC have introduced the lights of Los Angeles to the barren wasteland of the Large Ten, which, certain, who doesn’t love a Saturday morning recreation in opposition to Rutgers when you’re jetlagged to all hell.
Simply take a look at this new iteration of the Pac-12:
You possibly can’t inform me this isn’t simply the Mountain West 2 Electrical Boogaloo.
There are a plethora of different examples we are able to select from, together with rumors that sound straight out of a online game:
Famous mid-major Memphis is in talks to affix the Pac-12 from the Convention U—, sorry the American Athletic Convention.
Tarleton State is perhaps the Mountain West’s “break glass in case of emergency” choose.
The Montana duo is again within the name up dialogue for the Mountain West.
SACRAMENTO STATE has supposedly “raised 35 million {dollars}” in a pick-me transfer to get to the Pac-12.
UConn is rumored anyplace and in every single place.
Florida State hates the Atlantic Coast a lot it retains making an attempt to sue it.
And the WCC is buying and selling Jesuits for extremists by focusing on Grand Canyon after dropping Gonzaga to the new-look Pac-12.
Let’s now check out colleges in latest reminiscence who haven’t discovered their eternally residence (cue the Sarah McLaughlin music):
Utah went from the Mountain West, to the Pac-12, and now the Large 12.
Colorado left the Large 12 for western waters, solely to depart the Pac-12 in ruins and returned to the plains of the Large 12.
UConn left the old-school Large East — which after all misplaced the likes of Pitt, Syracuse and others to the ACC — to affix the American in a football-first transfer that didn’t final.
Even within the mid-major ranks, nothing is steady when groups are shifting round at breakneck pace: Famous WACSpansion is dropping Grand Canyon and Seattle to the WCC, UT Rio Grande Valley to the Southland, and all of Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, and Sam Houston after the group entered the identical yr in 2021 to varied leagues.
Additionally, famous midwestern college UMass is shifting over to the Mid-American convention, a lot to the chagrin of a sure eccentric CBB persona.
Let’s go deeper on WACSpansion. Virtually the entire authentic WACSpansion targets are not WAC members, leaving the modern-day WAC once more scrambling to revive itself.
Sam Houston lasted a whopping two years and now could be within the Convention USA. Stephen F. Austin left the Southland for the WAC solely to return to the Southland — the grass apparently wasn’t greener out west. Lamar did the identical factor as Stephen F. Austin however a yr earlier. Incarnate Phrase introduced the transfer from the Southland to the WAC throughout the authentic WACSpansion earlier than pulling out on the final second.
Heck, the WAC got here out within the purple on the entire thing, as Seattle lastly breached Gonzaga’s supposed veto on them to affix the extra geographically-friendly WCC, and UTRGV, an authentic WAC faculty, jumped to the extra geographically becoming Southland, and shockingly added soccer itself(…?) Solely Abilene Christian has stayed behind.
Even nomadic New Mexico State, a long-held energy within the WAC, left for the Convention USA and is tossed round because the fill in for the corpse of the Mountain West. Let the WAC be a cautionary story for mid-major/FCS conferences trying in direction of enlargement. These marriages don’t final.
As a lot as we’d wish to chalk this up as karma for raiding the poor Southland, a convention that actually started to punch above its weight within the NCAA Event, and for doing Chicago State soiled, it most likely speaks extra to the soccer pushed monetary panorama than the rest.
I might write extra about different smaller conferences within the japanese a part of the nation, however I wish to deal with what is going on within the West. I argue it began when the newest failed WACSpansion, which noticed the zombie league try and revive itself with Stephen F. Austin, Southern Utah, and a bunch of different Texas colleges solely to lose most of that membership to greater and brighter leagues or just ones that made extra sense geographically.
Then got here the FBS and the attract of the School Soccer Playoff — headed by Greg Sankey, the largest PigSkin Man of all. The SEC looted the Large 12 which then, in cahoots with the Large Ten, pillaged the Pac-12 for elements. And now, we’re left with a large number of 1,000 soccer fields plagued by the corpse of NCAA Event banners, Pac-12 shining moments, Mountain West drubbings within the match, and the fixed concern that the WAC, Large West or Large Sky can be subsequent on the chopping block.
What as soon as had colleges inside driving vary of the Pacific Ocean, now hopes to carry Memphis to its ranks. What as soon as consisted of Nice Lakes, has now commuted into the massive metropolis of L.A. What as soon as stored itself of a sure stage of dignity, now brings in scandal-ridden voices. What as soon as thrived within the Mountains, yearns for flatlands of Texas.
What as soon as was 12 is 16. What as soon as was 10 is eighteen. And what was 12, is diminished to eight — a sufferer of the glutenous.
I miss when the Pac-12 was filled with groups throughout the area. I’ll miss the Mountain West and its incapability to see a group outdoors of San Diego State win something in March. I’ll miss Gonzaga headline a enjoyable and rising mid-major league.
Most of all, I miss when basketball didn’t must take a backseat to the whims and desires of grasping PigSkin Males who see greenback payments on each facet of faculty athletics. I yearn for an easier time. A time of Invoice Walton saying insane shit throughout an Arizona State-UCLA recreation. I yearn for enjoyable, real enjoyable.
I perceive this new-look Pac-12 has the makings of a enjoyable time in hoops. However why did it have to come back at the price of the Mountain West? Why should the perfect and deepest basketball convention west of Texas die, in order that the Pac-12 could stay?
I’ve come to appreciate one factor: I have to settle for the truth I’m introduced with.
However, I can admit this actuality sucks.
