REPORT: Pac-12 realignment to EXPAND to 8 teams--is that enough? l College Football Podcast

Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes recently said that 8 teams is the right number for the Pac-12 to rebuild to to keep them nimble/flexible. Is that the right approach if they intend to keep the league thriving in the future?
On today's episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin talks about Michigan's odds to make the Playoff in 2024. Should the Wolverines really be favored to make the 12-team Playoff with so much turnover? 10:10
'Locked On Gators' host Brandon Olsen joins the show to talk about Florida and Miami's week 1 showdown in Gainesville. Why would the betting line have trended towards Billy Napier's team as their win total fell from 5.5 to 4.5 in recent weeks? 19:50
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REPORT: Pac-12 realignment to EXPAND to 8 teams--is that enough?
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[@terrencenewman5580]

8 teams is the perfect amount for right now! You can always add more group of 5 schools later. You need to leave space open incase the ACC falls apart so you can either pick up some of those schools or even do a merger with the remaining ACC schools if 4-6 schools from the ACC leave for the SEC or BIG 10. Also in the short term only having 7 conference games means you can schedule an extra power 4 opponent giving you a strength of schedule way ahead of any other G5 conference.

[@billl1127]

Board of Regents for OSU/WSU will never blow their war chest on buying out MW or any other conference teams. They will settle for a merger with the MW and keep all their money.

[@ganjean4209]

But if they settle for a merger into the MWC they would lose all that war chest to the departing 10 teams?

[@billl1127]

@ganjean4209 there must be a time limit on that, say two years, but I don't know.

[@DocSkirv]

Maybe. But it’s not what they are stating. And at this point I am taking their word over your opinion.

[@billl1127]

@@DocSkirv No worries. I'm not asking you to take my opinion.

[@toddwebb7521]

To me doing 8 instead of 12+ indicates they may want to add teams in the future that aren't available right now. So maybe wanting former PAC schools back if they are unhappy with current one or if the ACC implodes

[@JuanM-wy5xe]

Agreed 👍

[@NathanielPowell-io2bi]

That’s what I was going to say. Sanford and Cal will be looking for something else that is less finically strenuous on their athletic travel budget. The new PAC 10!

[@DB-rw9ld]

No one good from the ACC is going to the Pac12......

[@toddwebb7521]

@@DB-rw9ld well not while it exists but if it collapses and no longer exists calford may need homes.

[@DB-rw9ld]

@@toddwebb7521 If it collapses no good team is going back to Pac (more of a pipe dream) there is no financial incentive unless your group of 5. I could see teams leave the ACC, the ACC replace them and still be better off financially than the Pac. No one is going pay top dollar media rights for that conference.

[@tenminutetravelbreak]

I just don't see Cal and Stanford lasting in the ACC. It cannot ALL be about the TV money.

[@samj7681]

l can say that for the non revenue sports teams from the schools that left the Pac 12. No way Washington, UCLA, Oregon and USC should be spending that much money on travel. Only football and basketball should be in the Big 10.

[@tylernelson3343]

My third list includes 1. Washington State 2. Oregon State 3. Boise State 4. Fresno State 5. San Diego State 6. UNLV 7. Colorado State 8. Air Force 9. North Texas 10. UTSA 11. Tulsa 12. Rice

[@Dr.BatmanPhD]

Trash list

[@mustangkurt]

North Texas?! lol

[@Milesshoaf]

@@mustangkurt We are a big school that is attempting to grow athletics. Third largest in enrollment for 2023. I know we are not the best athletically but have made big strides compared to the last 2 decades, if we can get a consistent fanbase we would actually be good

[@equalizer1946]

Add the SWAC teams to be a complete conference

[@gabrielsoliz8563]

​@equalizer1946 most SWAC schools don't have the long term money to be FBS

[@DocSkirv]

1: Scott Barnes did not “confirm” the PAC was rebuilding. He said 8 feels like the right number if it does (2) he said that 8 gives the conference the flexibility to add potentially returning schools such as Cal or Stanford. (3) the P12 commissioner has said that the P12 has $67m set aside for a rebuild should they choose the path (4) Fresno has declining enrollment and a 2 time denied ballot measure to fix their crumbling stadium so they are doubtful. (5) Scott Barnes + Teresa Gould have also said they want this to be the "premier west coast" league, which knocks out South Florida. (6) That stated, I am certain they will kick the tires on Rice, + UTSA. I wish they would consider Tulane, but probably too far geographically. (7) all of this is only in case a B12 or ACC deal isn't offered up. (8) some concerns from AD's at other potential P12 candidates that OSU/WSU will reset the league, + then run to a P4 league. Which, of course they would. But so would any other member of the proposed league. (9) the ACC is holding on by a thread. (10) it is likely that at some point B12, B10, SEC schools are priced out of their conferences, + that the bigger markets will no longer justify revenues going to Ames Iowa, or Bloomington Indiana, as examples. Why would they? Just wanted to ensure the facts are out there.

[@atgdcommish608]

4: Fresno State has fared very well against the Pac-12 in football, and is in a good sized TV market (#52). They are definitely in. 9: The ACC is fine. They will likely lose FSU and Clemson, which would put them on the same level as the Big12, which is also fine.

[@Donjkoontz]

There are two factors concerning revenues. 1 is market but two is your alumni base and support…

[@DocSkirv]

@@atgdcommish608 disagree on both counts.

[@billl1127]

If Stanford and Cal rejoined the Pac, no other team would meet their lofty ideals to be a member. Hence, the Pac 2 becomes the Pac 4.

[@Joe-m2d]

Tulane is right next to Mississippi River. It could be considered either west, north or east of Mississippi River. If PAC and AAC agree to divide teams east and west of Mississippi River then Tulane can be considered West. Having Rice & Tulane increases possibility of Cal & Stanford rejoining if the All Coasts Conference (ACC) implodes. Having Cal & Stanford increases chance that Apple will do a streaming deal & nabbing another tv partner.

[@PvtPooter]

Baby steps bro.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Discussing more tomorrow

[@adamcompean9385]

​@LockedOnCollegeFootball Hey Spencer. What do you think of WSU Cougs new sports AD. ?

[@tylernelson3343]

@@LockedOnCollegeFootball Spencer talk next week about how much money the conference will get. I have a question for you. Which TV Networks do you think that PAC should get involved with, ESPN, Fox, CW, CBS Sports Network. What about streaming services like Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix?

[@robert5755]

yup, keep the money and be pac 2 as long as possible. cal and stanford will come back

[@TheWoodHaven]

8 makes sense if the ACC falls apart. That gets them Stanford and Cal back, then you go after the 4 corner schools to get them back and you are up to 14.

[@nategz9875]

Pac 12 with 12 schools; Oregon State, Washington State, Fresno State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Sacramento State, North Texas, UTSA, Texas State, Rice, UTEP, UNLV. Honestly it's better to go all in on California and Texas. DFW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin area, El Paso, Sacramento, San Diego, Fresno, the Bay Area are all huge markets that could bring in dollars and lots of viewership. Las Vegas also brings in viewers and can help recruit LA players who want to leave LA but stay close to home.

[@dangerdare4114]

Finally someone brings up San Jose State, a lot of people keep forgetting how important the SJSU vs Fresno State rivalry is which is why they need to be in the same conference

[@scott4482]

I can't argue with your 12 _ 14 number, but I feel like some teams in the so called big conferences( BIG) ( BIG 12 ), ( ACC) are going to be unhappy with their new conferences. Some former contenders are going to discover that the new alignments shut them out of opportunities. Teams like Illinois Purdue, Minnesota, maybe even Wisconsin just can't compete any longer.

[@thearchitectO1]

Do you believe the aforementioned BIG schools will leave $90 mil a year to join another conference for $40/$30 mil less? I don't understand this logic.

[@tylernelson3343]

Besides those schools in the Big Ten voted for expansion.

[@ganjean4209]

The power 2 will consolidate and leave to a new league and won't invite teams like Purdue etc. same with SEC. They'll brake off. Then all remaining will form a new college football second tier. More regional conference will come of it. You'll have the power 2 and then G7

[@atgdcommish608]

No one is leaving the B1G gravy train unless they are kicked out. And I doubt any Big12 or ACC teams would give up an easy 30M a year in TV money to join a rebuilt Pac that will be closer to 15M a year.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Just because a school is unhappy in a new league, does NOT mean they will jump back

[@earlygenesistherevealedcos1982]

9:27 Spencer surely their play is based on waiting to see what happens with ACC. They want Cal and Stanford back, not add Memphis or Tulane. if ACC loses fl state, clem, Miami, UNC, Ville and maybe one or two more, the very best play for them all is a PAC ACC merger where one is west div and other east. Cal, Stanford and SMU go west, the rest of remaining ACC is east. Travel problems largely solved. Relevant conference. Sorta. 9:12

[@Husky_V]

Get 8 solid teams. If & when ACC teams blow up - salvage Stanford & Cal (maybe SMU). Form "The Great Atlantic & Pacific Conference" 24 team conference with 12 teams in each division. The A&P would be a good coast to coast option.

[@schs1977]

That's never going to happen. If ACC implodes, several ACC teams like NC State, Louisville, VA Tech, GA Tech, or Duke will end up in Big XII.

[@Joe-m2d]

Do you mean the All Coasts Conference?

[@ericpz]

Five conference games leave room to schedule more P4 schools to improve their reputation against power school. It also gives time to pause and see what the best options for the next move are.

[@mathewblood5113]

Bingo. Exactly right. 👍

[@atgdcommish608]

Five? If you have an 8-team league, schedule all 7. That leaves 5 games for 3 cupcakes, one middle tier Power4 matchup, and one payday against a top opponent.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

You can play several P4 schools with an 8-game conference slate, ez

[@timboslice3755]

PAC should just merge their 2 teams left with the MW. The PAC is a joke!

[@mikek3979]

PAC is done. Barnes is a marginal leader of the two schools ambitions and the so-called “war chest” will be used to fill athletic departments and current conference expenses. The loss of Pat Chun at WSU left the current conference without any effective athletic directors.

[@aBrewster29]

WSU, OSU, BSU, SDSU, FSU, UNLV, USU, Wyoming, CSU Grow from there, depending on what happens with the ACC. Might pick up Cal, SMU, Tulane and Memphis, for example.

[@starguy2718]

Sounds like the old "Wacky WAC" lineup. Would you include BYU, as well?

[@aBrewster29]

@@starguy2718 I have a feeling BYU won’t leave the Big 12 for whatever gets cooked up. Honestly I think a reverse merger makes the most sense.

[@davidmcaron7059]

Add Okla St, Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas, Kansas St.

[@lastpme]

The PAC 2 problem is why would a team want to pay an exit fee from the MWC and the AAC to join a conference without a TV contract. I think the MWC is in a better position to add WSU and OSU vs PAC 2 stealing the best programs from MWC and AAC. Plus if they were able to add AAC schools, they would have to make enough money to include the travel expenses to make it worth it. Once Cal and Stanford jumped ship, the PAC was dead.

[@mikeglick756]

It will change ,everything is all fd up with college football Greed will change all things once again ,leaders will never learn . Over half of teams in college football will loose money trying to fund all sports programs. Soon all Free sports on air & cable tv will be gone Pay per view only that’s only way to pay millions to sponsor college sports Good luck with that

[@AFNick]

They need to save some spots open for when Cal and Stanford come back post-ACC breakup. There is also the possibility of UCLA coming back if SEC/Big Ten ultimately merger and have to kick out bottom half of combined league.

[@JamiesonPercad]

UCLA is in the Big Ten for good. No way they split them from USC. Also, there will never be a B1G/SEC merger (the former doesn't need the latter). People keep forgetting that the B1G (unlike the SEC) is more than just an athletic conference.

[@adamcompean9385]

Maybe they are waiting for the ACC crumbles apart for picking teams?

[@desertrat1111]

I think the conferences need to drop the number in their names

[@davidbrown386]

If OSU & WSU want only 8 schools, it could mean they want either the flexibility to add: Say Cal, SMU & Stanford. Or more likely they believe long term both the ACC & Big XII will lose schools to the P-2, and it will be easier to dissolve the Conference when and if this happens. Take the Big XII. It is possible that one day they lose any or all of ASU, Kansas, TCU & Utah. OSU & WSU could be their replacements.

[@PCSPounder]

If the pay is going to be the same at 8 schools as at 12, you go 8.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Depends on the 12

[@Tonehawkdawg]

Re-add Cal and Stanford = 10.

[@leahhibdon3709]

Remember, the Pac12 was the Pac8 years ago

[@kirancourt]

Eight schools also leaves room to add Cal, Stanford, and SMU when the ACC implodes

[@CatherineAllen-c7y]

If losing all but 2 teams didn’t kill the pac12 then losing fsu and Clemson won’t kill the ACC. This is possibly the dumbest comment I’ve seen when it comes to this realignment bullshit.

[@kirancourt]

@@CatherineAllen-c7yEither you hit your head on something or must not read much because the ACC stands to lose up to five teams.

[@srajala42]

​@kirancourt still less teams than the pac12 lost. The question will be, does adding these teams make the pac12 relevant again? The answer, I think, is doubtful, but time will tell.

[@kirancourt]

@@srajala42 It seems to be about survival, not relevance.

[@srajala42]

@@kirancourt yeah, that much is clear lol

[@tylernelson3343]

For the PAC to be able to compete. They need to choose the best candidates for the conference. They could have reversed merger with Mountain West Conference. Taking all 12 schools especially the ones that are dead weight in football. Hawaii, New Mexico and Nevada all need to step up their game. Second option is to get six Mountain West teams and get several American teams. My issues with Hawaii is their stadium situation. The geography and time zone difference.

[@DocSkirv]

No way a reverse merger happens.

[@atgdcommish608]

Hawaii is the mother lode for recruiting though, and a nice road trip for the fans. In fact, a conference with UNLV (Vegas), Hawaii, Tulane (New Orleans), San Diego State and maybe Colorado State (Denver) has a lot of nice road trips.

[@ucprof2008]

Spencer, look up the history, the PAC 12 was the PAC 8 for any year before adding the Arizona schools to make the PAC 10, and later the PAC12 by adding Colorado and Utah. The PAC 8 will be an intermediate step, and more schools will be added later. There will be a surplus of colleges which want to drop out of leagues like the BIG (now 18 schools).

[@EyeOfTheWatcher]

If they get to 8 schools, then they can wait to grab more teams with a smaller or no exit fee along with trying to get a media right deal for the PAC. One of the reason I think 8 would be good is because it meets the NCAA requirement for a conference, but it also allows them to be more selective about the schools they add.

[@1975cmm]

I see beginning with 8 because you're expanding from 2 teams to 8, and then expanding again later. Perhaps with the war chest not wanting to use it all on buyouts from adding schools from other conferences.

[@johnteill_]

The more I think about it the more I see 8 as enough....keep yourself flexible so in the event that things open up you can make a move....what if the acc got cracked apart and suddenly higher profile options can be on the table

[@tommykeeran6776]

8 is perfect at first. Get the biggest 6 G5 brands, get yourself a TV deal. stay alive. From there you wait and see what happens with the ACC. If it falls apart you get Stanford and Cal back along with a couple other lower end P5s. Then you can pick and choose from there. I'm sure the long term goal is 12+, but is it better to take a Fresno State or Wyoming NOW or wait and see if you can grab Stanford, Cal, Wake Forest, and Boston College later?

[@o0Raine0o]

peak capitalism before the downfall. who the fl cares about 8 teams or what teams you buy from another conferece. go back to regional and stop this bs merging and and superconferencing

[@icetruckthrilla]

Are they just waiting until the exit fees in the Mountain West go down? I could see them taking most of the conference but leaving San Jose, Wyoming, Hawaii

[@PCSPounder]

Are you presuming that the schools are making decisions before they consult media partners? I’m assuming they’re working with media before acting. That’s why 8.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Have to talk w/FOX and CBS to piggy back on MW deal ending before '26 season

[@onlinepole]

A Conference with Oregon State Washington State SanDiego State Fresno State AFA UNLV Colorado State New Mexico NIU Nevada Boise State Hawaii ; is the best non P5 conference

[@tylernelson3343]

Well Spencer McLaughlin there are several answers to this question. Having eight schools in the conference will fulfill NCAA requirements. Eight schools won’t be enough because the TV networks like to have contents on their own channels. Eight schools won’t even have a chance compared with other conferences that have either 16-18 schools. I say having ten schools is the minimum. I have to say that PAC needs to have between 12-16 schools in order to be competitive with other conferences.

[@krakenNation]

Geez stop complaining about Michigan tell me any team who went 15-0 play in one of the toughest conferences beat Penn State,Ohio State,Alabama,Washington all top 25 teams. Get off your high horse about Michigan I’m gonna laugh so hard when Michigan makes you eat your words you’re just a hater. Plus USC will get destroyed in the BIG 10 this year

[@josephross7936]

If they expand when they had the chance when big 12 was down. They would be this way. Kansas, OK St., Houston, & TCU would have been fine.

[@penguinmc9784]

8 is a merger plan with leftover ACC that includes a reunion with Stanford and Cal.

[@MrRo004]

Doesn’t matter for OSU/WSU. They’ll be “G5” school status unless they get into a P4 or even P3 in a couple years which doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. You can keep the PAC12 name and get some MWC AAC teams, but it’ll be just another G5 conference.

[@andrewjameskun]

it's a wait-and-see what happens to the acc. imo, i think stanford and cal will make it's way back to the pac once clemson/florida st/others leave the acc. then the new pac will grab air force/unlv/sd st/col st/boise/wyoming from mw.

[@thearchitectO1]

The PAC going to 8 is the best option available at this time.

[@mathewblood5113]

More nonconference games with P4 and with a winning record would cement the conference in the CFP and attract recruits. Makes some sense.

[@jabarijones8091]

The SBC is overrated. I think that the new CUSA is going to surpass them. The SBC has never made it to a NY6 bowl game. CUSA has.

[@kentwapostoffice1289]

The ACC has teams fighting to leave, it will fracture. Cal, SMU, and Stanford will go to the PAC 12. The rest of the MWC goes to C-USA or AAC leaving the PAC 12 as the only west coast football conference. This is the long game and the 12 team playoff means they are in it every year. Teams have to pay players now and the mega conferences are going to have a lot of unhappy members.

[@JO-kp6lk]

Well, it's a start. There was a time, back in the distant recesses of memory, when we actually had a PAC 8. Then you will be in a position to add to it with a couple more teams with a relatively credible standing. In any event, it is more than time to do something. Otherwise, we could end up dead in the water.

[@cwg73160]

Yes. The minimum number needed is eight. It’s enough. This is an easy Don’t Recommend Channel.

[@jesseschulepicks]

If Oregon state schedules Oregon and Washington state schedules Washington in non conference that would appear to work out nicely

[@scotteckersley6972]

OSU/WSU are just trying to hold on to the PAC name, until they can maneuver themselves into a better situation/conference. The PAC name carries more weight as a brand than the MWC name and that’s what they are banking on, in the short term.

[@fxphenomX]

Pac12 was a great conference with a deep history. What blew it up was 2 weak liberal commissioners who were just bad at their jobs.

[@myrhino70]

Cal and Stanford need to run from the ACC mess and help build a new PAC/ MTW with OSU and WSU.

[@1975cmm]

I think they will end up with more than 8 teams, but I think it will be more of a baby steps. 8 to begin with then later 10 or 12, maybe 14.

[@louispapp7722]

60 days to week ZeRO!

[@michaelhapgood782]

Obviously they won't renew their Power 5 ranking.

[@prestonharman4191]

8 teams allows you to build a strong out of Conference schedule, which would dwarf the other group of 5

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

8-team league can't separate from rest of G5 as easily

[@Isaiah88p]

lol your take on Michigan is complete trash.

[@Vann-no2qw]

I think pac 12 is waiting to see if the acc falls aparts

[@rynebozzell]

The PAC is saving up some money to bring back USC and UCLA. Those two teams will be sick and tired of traveling across the country and getting their ass beat.

[@russelleads2145]

Ummm? No! You are still not the SEC!!

[@jonathanhjelm7979]

Once upon a time, it was the Pac-8

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Long ago, in a galaxy far far away!

[@tylernelson3343]

@@LockedOnCollegeFootball You are talking about how much money they make next week. I have a question for you about media deal. Which TV networks should the PAC have deal with ESPN, Fox, CW and CBS Sports Network. Which streaming services do you prefer to get involved with the PAC.

[@mrp4242]

University of Montana used to be there.

[@christopherfoote4643]

They should simply annex the Mountain West Conference. Nevada Las Vegas and Hawaii should unite with the Big Ten Conference. That is optimal.

[@christopherfoote4643]

Mountain West Conference is a better conference than many consider it to be. I think they should annex the Mountain West Conference. Hawaii and Nevada Las Vegas to the Big Ten Conference. Seems fair.

[@jeh58]

Here is a question for you Spencer, how are you going to get an AAC team when you don't know what your media deal is worth? The MWC media deal is 4 million per team, the AAC is right at 7 million. In order to get an AAC team I would think your media deal would need to be north of 12 million, to help cover the travel costs. If it isn't worth it money wise why would any AAC team leave? Also Scott Barnes didn't say for certain they were expanding, he was talking about if they do expand. The PAC2 are still waiting until next year to make that final decision. Commissioner Gould said 65 million has been set aside if the PAC12 does decide to rebuild. Sixty-five million is about the amount to pay for the teams cost to rebuild. It Gives the PAC room to expand later selectively, plus the would know the kind of media money they would garner. Go Beavs!!!

[@atgdcommish608]

I could see a rebuilt Pac getting 12-15M a year, plus more football playoff money, plus more basketball tournament money. It would be a no-brainer for G5 teams making 5 or 10M a year now.

[@jeh58]

@@atgdcommish608 That would be nice, but I have doubts.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

That is definitely a question they have to answer. Right now, the answer is selling Playoff access

[@tidmarshXC]

All conferences should be 8-10 teams. I hate "conferences" where teams in the conference barely play each other. As a Boise State fan, I want to play Fresno every year. I want to play Nevada every year. I want to play Oregon State and Wazzu every year. Mega conferences are the death of college football. I hope the new Pac-12 brings along the 4 teams already mentioned plus Nevada and UNLV to get to 8. I don't want Memphis. No teams east of the Rockies. A true regional conference.

[@tidmarshXC]

Also 8 teams leaves us available to add Stanford and Cal when the ACC inevitably falls apart.

[@kylerenyard2365]

1.Washington state 2.Oregon state 3.Boise state 4.Utah state 5.Colorado state 6.Wyoming 7.Air Force 8.UTSA 9.Montana 10.South Dakota state 11.North Dakota state 12. Texas state Adding 3 new schools could make things interesting

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Adding FCS schools is not going to happen.

[@jczuprykfl]

Oregon State Washington State San Diego State UNLV New Mexico Colorado State Air Force Wyoming Tulsa Memphis Tulane UTSA USF ECU Temple Navy

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Pretty fun league. Question is what's the media value?

[@claytongardinier5179]

There is already one G5 super conference. It's called the Big 12.

[@DocSkirv]

This is funny! Good one! Painfully on point.

[@tommykeeran6776]

Big 12 > ACC

[@GoodTV285]

The problem would be the same problem the pac had before the break up, what type of tv deal are they gonna get? The offers will be even lower with these lower tier teams

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

Per Bob Thompson (retired Pres of Fox Sports) he thinks around $10M media valuation

[@ciesaro]

A return to the PAC 8?

[@sadmarinersfan8935]

If money was doable all 4 Dakota schools would be perfect

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

They're FCS....that's not gonna happen

[@blacksuede]

Back to the Pac 8

[@stephenjensen5358]

The flexibility comment is definitely about Cal and Stanford. The ACC is going to get gutted. The top 4 or maybe 6 teams will likely go to Big10 and SEC. The next 4-6 mid-level teams will go to Big 12. Because when the top teams leave the ACC. ESPN will definitely renegotiate the ACC's contract. Likely somewhere in the $15-20 million range. Less than half of the Big 12. And at that rate it would no longer make sense for Cal and Stanford to remain in the ACC with the exorbitant travel costs. The new PAC 12 would likely get a similar contract to the new ACC. A merger with the ACC leftovers is unlikely. The ACC will probably raid the AAC. But both the ACC and the PAC 12 will be G5 leagues.

[@lgah1091spud]

As a Michigan fan to make the playoff we have to go 3-2 between Texas, USC, Washington, Oregon, and the suckeyes. With no other loses. Can’t get blown out either. It’s going to be tough

[@ThomasStrong-z5j]

Spencer or think about this, he's planning on expanding to 8 teams before the 2026 deadline which will stabilize and keep the pac-12 in existence moving forward. Only to possibly welcome back stanford, cal, maybe even smu, and honestly I think Utah or BYU joins the fun. Pac-12

[@onlinepole]

Gonna put another name out there and for these reasons. NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1) Played in BCS Bowl (Orange vs FSU) in recent past. 2) Has won MAC football 🏈 title several years. 3) Beat 2 ACC teams on the road the past 3 seasons (GT & BC). 4) Not only has an on campus football stadium,🏟️ but access to Soldier Field (.downtown Chicago seats 62K, also home of Chi Bears 🐻.) along with Wrigley Field(home of Chicago Cubs) and Chicago White Sox Stadium. 5) Has beaten Nebraska Purdue Northwestern Iowa in the last 10 years. 6) Flights through the 2nd largest Airport in 🇺🇸 (OHare) along with Rockford (NW Chicago) that’s just 25 miles to NIU Campus. 7) would bring PAC 12 name to the Midwest’s largest media market. Oregon State l, Washington State, AFA, Fresno State, San Diego State

[@kyleorndorff1304]

8 schools is good for football as they can allow their schools to all schedule 2-4 P4 games a season with a 7 game conference schedule. Also can wait out future ACC implosion. Maybe scoop up Stanford and Cal. Maybe even SMU gives them the bridge to grab Tulane too.

[@ryanberger81]

8 teams is good. We can return to our roots (PAC-8) and start over with teams that want to be here, and not a bunch of traitors. Forget the PAC-10 and PAC-12 era and do things OUR way, so maybe this doesn't happen to us ever again!

[@shaunculp4221]

San Diego St., Boise St., Fresno St., Colorado St., Rice, Tulane, UTEP, UNLV, Nevada, Idaho that would be a respectful enough league that makes the most sense geographically. Plus could compete at multiple sports nationally, I also believe it would be competitive enough that maybe in a few years Cal and Stanford go this travellings all the way across the country is costing to much lets go back, that's a long shot but you never know. I also think that would be a good enough group that they could get a better tv deal done than any of the mid majors right now could get.

[@charlessarmento5488]

The New Pac 12 Oregon St, Washington St, Boise St, San Diego St, UNLV, Fresno, Reno, Tulsa, North Texas, UTSA, I do think the ACC does not work out for Cal/Stanford and they find there way back in 3 years.

[@Jakesells10]

Why not pac and Big12 merge. Share the millions equally and essentially buy your way into the conference. If SMU can do it to the ACC the pac can do it to the Big12

[@tenminutetravelbreak]

Get some of the bigger MW programs, enough to survive for now, and then look ahead to merge with ACC to have a big nationwide conference. Maybe then Arizona schools come back if that happens. You have a West division and and East division. They will have a LOT of schools, enough to be relevant.

[@garydavis8213]

WSU and OSU should hang on alone until the contract runs out and split the $400mil and tell the other, now former Pac12 teams, to pound sand.

[@iloveresses7277]

I get your argument. I certainly don't think Michigan should have more than a 50% chance of making the 12 team CFP, but I think they have a pretty decent shot and we'll know pretty quickly how likely it is. If the offense struggles the first couple of weeks its going to be difficult to make it through that schedule with 3 losses (I think you said something about a CFP team not having 3 losses but you don't have to go back far to find teams with 3 losses pre-bowls being in the top 12). But if the offense is at least average, with their defense and most of their tough games at home, they have a decent shot IMO. But there is simply way too many questions that need to be answered before you can speak about 2024 Michigan with any confidence.

[@leonardlithen6787]

You're getting the entire MWC or none at all. The PAC 2 don't have the funds to pay the MWC exit fees and no TV network is going to pay you the money to make it happen. No one should take this guy seriously.

[@atgdcommish608]

What exit fees? The MWC deal is up in 2 years, right when the Pac needs to be at 8 teams again.

[@leonardlithen6787]

@@atgdcommish608 In April 2021, Mountain West presidents voted to increase exit fees - liquidated damages, in legalese - to their current $17 million if a departing member provides one year’s notice and an estimated $34 million inside that. The TV deal expiring doesn't cancel the exit fees.

[@xakarymikal7948]

8 teams is great. Leaves 4 games to fill and those can be 4 games from other good competition and conferences. The flexibility makes sense.

[@Joe-m2d]

8 team conference + alliance with another conference for G4 playoff spot + ranked scheduling + ranked challenge week.

[@purpleivory2]

Please, no more of this 3 time zone bullshit.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

We are past the point of no return.

[@gordono672]

10-12 team conference (with an 8 game schedule) is great if you're trying to be the best G5 conference since teams have 4 slots open to play as many P4 schools as possible. And I don’t know if you need an inventory of more than 12 teams for tv scheduling.

[@ikinniobi6411]

10:28 Michigan plays Ohio State Oregon, Texas. They ain't winning any of those games. I can't bet in georgia though, so can somebody bet for me? 😂

[@garygrassler09]

Why’d you say “8 teams” like that? Omg everyone in the conference is gonna play each other. Oh no not that! 😱

[@jpDragna]

Gotta call Brandon Olsen out on his assessment of these teams last year going into this year (UF and Miami). We don't have a head to head matchup, but we do have a common opponent. FSU would largely consider both Miami and UF rivals on equal footing in terms of "Throw out the records on this game, it's a rivalry" level. With that, Miami had a true freshman in at QB, and looked decidedly more competitive against the at the time CFP bound Jordan Travis led FSU Seminoles than Florida did in that final cough at the end of the season. Better QB play (see Ward) from Miami in that game takes pressure off a run game that saw one back avg 7 yards per carry, and the other average 2.9 in an overall inconsistent performance. Travis was able to find his receivers, but Miami's front line, as they did all season, held FSU in check at 51 total yards. Take the home field advantage (I'm in central PA and we just came out a heat dome that had us sitting at indexes as high as 102, so yeah the swamp at 3pm at the start of the season is going to suck), take the coaching advantage even. I don't know that either coach is currently instilling a lot of confidence, but at least Napier knows how to kneel (and I'm confident he would have benched TVD during the NC State game at halftime). Talent advantage, though? No, and the recruiting and transfer numbers show us those results. All 247sports numbers, but 2022 combined ranking Miami 13th - Florida 17th, 2023 Miami 8th - Florida 12th, 2024 Miami 6th - Florida 7th. You could call it a wash maybe, but Ward and Martinez in this year's haul is a Miami push, there's a difference between Ward's immediate impact for this game, and Lagway's future potential (which is demonstrably a higher ceiling than Ward's by all accounts). As for the transfer comparisons, Florida was terrible on defense. They weren't young, or close to being good. They were just bad. If that's schematics it's not getting better this year, but if it was talent I don't think you plug in transfers to an unsuccessful defense and it fares better than a team plugging in transfers into a largely successful defense (despite their secondary issues, Miami's front 4 was one of the best run stopping units in the nation)...that's a bit much on the homerism. Miami's run defense was 10th in rushing yards per game, and 10th in average yards per carry among P5 teams last year, Florida was not in the top 50 in either category. You could argue "SEC", but they gave up 30+ points to Kentucky, South Carolina, and Arkansas, who combined to reach that mark in just 3 other SEC matchups they had. I get that this game is probably going to be closer than it should be, but it's not something I see as anything the Gators are doing. The Swamp can only do so much, considering they lost to 4-8 Arkansas in the Swamp last year (3 of Arkansas 4 wins came OOC against Western Carolina, Kent State, and FIU). If Florida had a terrible offense last year, but was returning a defense that did their best to keep them in games, I'd be looking at this game differently. But it's not that, it's a terrible defense, and that's the worst matchup for what Miami was able to pull off this off-season. Miami went from 90th in ESPN's FPI offensive efficiency rankings in 2022 to 30th last year. They jumped 60 spots without any semblance of consistency at the QB position. Florida meanwhile went from the 69th most efficient defense according to ESPNs FPI in 2022, to the 86th. The only two reasons the line is close is because people don't trust Miami (very legit), and it's in the Swamp (also legit). Everything else points to this game being a horrific matchup for Florida to contend with in their season opener. Florida State has a much better defense than Miami, but even they wouldn't present as much of a nightmare matchup on offense as what Miami appears to have.

[@fanman71]

UM definitely has a tough schedule with Texas, USC, Oregon & @OSU.

[@teacherjoe7019]

I like 14 schools. Either a 3/5 or a 5/4 scheduling with each school having 3 or 5 protected rivalries (rivalries are important) and playing the rest half the time. It doesn't matter which schools are part of the 14. The inventory would be 56 or 63 games which is not far from SEC (64) but still nowhere near the BIG (81). Just depends on which Texas and eastern schools have an interest playing at least four games out west each year.

[@DuckRon626]

Big Knives Out fan, here. And, I agree with you in that I would watch as many as they care to make. Actually, probably more than they would care too make.

[@Joe-m2d]

Colorado St., San Diego St., UTSA, Tulane, Rice, & Texas St.

[@rossgingerich7759]

I would say also SMU and North Texas State.

[@gordono672]

Not sure as the top G5 conference they would need any more than 10 or 12 schools.

[@gordono672]

That would clearly be the best non-P4 conference! I like it!

[@shortsallyear8602]

You keep it as small as you can at first to save as much money as you can.

[@ralphgoblue]

You can bet your house a 10-2 Michigan makes the playoffs . Esp beating 2 top 4 teams and one loss at OSU .. tv rating alone would put Michigan in over basically every other team and yes that’s a real thing. Michigan probably gets in at 9-3 losing to 3 top 5 teams

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

I struggle to see 9-3 getting in

[@FresnoState101]

I have Fresno State beating Michigan! They bring back 29% of their squad from last year, and they have a bunch of new coaches! Their QB is super questionable, and it takes a lot to get all the players running on all 8 cylinders! Plus, I think they'll be overlooking us!

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

BOLD

[@jwills1612]

Oregon state and Washington state might as well join the mountain west and dominate. Them and the schools that could possibly don’t have enough pull to make it a P5 conference. They’re being delusional.

[@LockedOnCollegeFootball]

They lose a lot of money if they do that