The PAC 12 is Different

The current PAC 12 conference, consisting of Oregon State and Washington State is doing things a little bit differently than you might expect.

Conference Expansion

When just about everyone in the PAC 12 left for either the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC this summer, it felt like people jumping off the Titanic. Oregon State and Washington State were expected to join another conference, with the Mountain West seeming to make the most sense. There were some who thought the two schools might become independents instead of settling for what is thought of as being a lesser conference. Still others said that ESPN was pressuring the Big 12 to add the two schools.

The option that seemed the most difficult was for Oregon State and Washington State to try to rebuild the PAC 12. Yet, that is exactly what they are doing.

The PAC 12 recently confirmed that four Mountain West schools will be joining the conference for the 2026-27 school year. Those schools are Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State. This will cost the conference some money, since the scheduling agreement the two PAC 12 schools had with the Mountain West included penalties for the PAC 12 if they ended up taking any Mountain West schools to the PAC 12.

With this announcement of PAC 12 expansion, the conference still needs at least two more schools to join in by July of 2026 to remain an FBS conference. Rumors are that Tulane and Memphis, current members of the AAC, have the attention of the PAC 12 as possible members. And of course, the PAC 12 says they have been contacted by several schools interested in joining them. Realignment is never done.

Rivalry games continue…

In addition to the PAC 12 expansion news, we just had a strange weekend for a conference that fell apart just a few months ago. Oregon State and Washington State played their in-state rivals, Oregon and Washington, who left to join the Big Ten. While that might not seem as a surprise, since those games have been taking place for years, it does go against what we have seen in recent rounds of realignment.

When Missouri and Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012, their rivalry games against Kansas and Texas ended in all sports. It was just a couple of years ago that Missouri and Kansas resumed playing each other in basketball. Texas and Texas A&M are only starting their games back up since they will again be in the same conference.

But this situation was different than the others. In the past, we have seen a school or two leave a conference. But in this case, an entire conference was essentially leaving all but two schools. Oregon State and Washington State needed to keep those rivalry games. Since their conference left them, they had to build a full schedule and not just replace a game or two. They couldn’t easily replace those games, at least not for the amount of money the schools would make playing their rivals.

Yes, the PAC 12 is different, but not necessarily because it wants to be. Rather, the PAC 12 had to be different because of the situation it found itself in.

Bits

• Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion in the team’s Thursday night game against Buffalo. Tua previously had two concussions in 2022 and another hit to the head that led to the NFL changing how concussions are handled. As soon as Tua had this most recent concussion, many people started calling for him to retire. The amount of money Tua would receive if he retires depends on whether or not he is cleared to play.

• Oregon football reportedly has unlimited money to spend on NIL. Apparently, Nike founder Phil Knight is willing to spend whatever it takes to win a national championship.

• Tennessee kicked and recovered an onside kick up 30-0 in the first quarter on their way to a 65-0 halftime lead against Kent State. Kent State was offered the opportunity to play the second half with a running clock but declined. The Volunteers won the game 71-0. I haven’t found an explanation by Josh Heupel as to why he decided to try an onside kick in that situation.

• Mississippi won at Wake Forest 40-6 this past weekend. The two schools were scheduled to play again in 2025, this time in Oxford, Mississippi, but the Demon Deacons decided to cancel the game. Wake Forest will have to pay $1 million for backing out of the game.

• Florida and Florida State are off to a combined 1-5 record. Florida State was expected to contend for the ACC championship, but they have lost all three of their games. Florida is in the middle of a quarterback controversy, deciding to play both of their quarterbacks now. This is the first time since 1955 that both Florida and Florida State have losing records through three games.

• Entering Monday’s games, the Chicago White Sox had a record of 35-115. They are currently tied for fourth place with the 2018 Baltimore Orioles for the most losses in a single season. The 1988 Orioles lost their first 21 games, but they still only lost 107 games for the season. The 1962 New York Mets hold the record for most losses in a season with 120. The White Sox should easily surpass that mark.

• The Kansas City Royals had a record of 56-106 in 2023 for a winning percentage of .392. They are currently 82-68 (.547) in 2024 entering Monday. That’s a 20.1% improvement in winning percentage. If the Royals stay at that winning percentage, it will be the second-largest increase in winning percentage from one season to the next in MLB history behind only the 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks who improved by 21.6%. The Royals can beat the Diamondbacks’ record if they finish the season 10-2 in their final 12 games.

And Another Thing…

If your team is having problems in short yardage situations, you might want to show them this:

Thanks for reading.