CFB: Evaluating the new Pac-12

Welcome back, Pac-12! The conference is set to return this fall with a new eight-member lineup.

The new schools joining Oregon State and Washington State are Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State.

That’s a whole lot of schools with ‘State’ in the name.

The league announced its schedule plan last Wednesday, which includes a four-game non-conference schedule, a seven-game round-robin conference schedule over the next eight weeks with one bye week and a home-and-home flex matchup for week 13.

This matchup will be considered a non-conference game for standings, and the games will be chosen by the Pac-12 based on what is best for the league, which also includes possible College Football Playoff implications.

The conference title game will take place at the home stadium of the highest seed and will be determined after week 12, which is two weeks before the game.

The past two seasons, the surviving Pac-12 members had played a Mountain West Conference schedule and an independent schedule. The league then took five MWC members.

Texas State is leaving the Sun Belt Conference for this “new” league.

Now, when looking at the new members that have joined the Pac-12, it’s not hard to say that it will not be a power conference like the old iteration of the conference.

The two surviving brands of Oregon State and Washington State have rather mediocre football histories, and of those that are joining, only Boise State has ever won a New Year’s 6/BCS bowl game.

It is nice to have the Pac-12 back as a cohesive conference. The league is legendary in the lore of college football, but it’s hard to see this new version recapturing those heights that were once reached.

Transitioning out of football and onto the hardwood, Gonzaga is joining the conference as a basketball-only member starting next college basketball season.

On the gridiron, the Pac-12 may be overlooked, but the hoops should be very solid.

The Mountain West has played some solid basketball the last couple of seasons, and San Diego State even made the national championship game in 2023, unfortunately losing to UConn.

Adding Gonzaga, which is a west coast basketball powerhouse, is a huge addition to the conference on top of the solid programs they are bringing in.

It is still a shame what happened to the old version of the Pac-12. What started with the departure of USC and UCLA for the Big 10, then Washington and Oregon also fled for the more midwestern-based conference.

Most remaining brands then ended up in the Big 12, with two others leaving for the ACC, leaving Oregon State and Washington State behind to rot by themselves.

However, the schools, along with league administration, have managed to stay afloat and have rebuilt the league, marking a new chapter for the 110-year-old league.

While the brand of the conference has taken a hit, there is no doubt that the glory of Pac-12 after dark football is officially back, and the brands that have joined can also turn into a solid basketball conference.

Evan Pochas is a third-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ejp5753@psu.edu.