As we move closer to the school year, it will soon be college football season again! Some of you may have noticed that there has been quite a stir with the most recent conference realignment. I don't know about you, but I never anticipated [USC and UCLA to leave the Pac-12 and join Big Ten](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/34173688/source-usc-ucla-considering-move-pac-12-big-ten).

         Does that surprise you? It should be from a geographic perspective.

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1542660461883170816?s=20&t=rAeWfsw4WvkLDXoVidGOhg

         And some of us thought West Virginia joining the Big 12 was strange.

         For some years, the talk in sports forums was that either the Big 12 or Pac-12 would dissolve due to realignment or general weakness. We have arrived at that point. Whereas the Big 12 sought markets to expand, the Pac-12 sat around without producing a national champion since 2004.

         As a BYU fan, I remember how smug the Utes fan were when they left the Mountain West Conference. The Pac was pickier then. Now, they are in a spot where they can't be too picky. Who (that are decent) can they possibly entice to join their conference now? Not schools like BYU, TCU, etc.

         The most obvious choice is probably Boise State. The problem is that it's not a lucrative market despite the strength of their football program. They could also go for San Diego State, but that's as far as quality goes. The Pac fans tout themselves as a group that values secularism and academics. So, the chance of them looking to schools such as SMU is slim unless their desperation forces them to reevaluate.

         Is the Pac-12 hitting the twilight of its existence? It's anyone's guess. For the moment, we will still see USC and UCLA play for the Pac until 2024. The formation of superconferences, like the Big Ten and SEC, are doing will create more challenges to crown the one true champion in the future.

         At the end of the day, we know it's all about the money.



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