Goodbye, Pac-12. It was awful fun when you existed. As merger conversations have ended between the Pac-12 and Big 12, it has become inevitable that the Pac-12's time on this earth is coming to a close. Thus, the Big 18 will be born and the likes of Washington, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado will have no choice but to join the Big 12.
Really, the loss of UCLA and USC, the elimination of the Los Angeles market and the two biggest programs will tank the Pac-12.
Granted, this same thing could have been said about the Big 12 last summer. The primary difference in the scenarios is how the conferences will handle realignment. The Big 12 went right to work by bringing Houston, Cincinnati, UCF and BYU on board. The Pac-12 does not have that liberty.
Even if the league is searching for expansion teams, their options are sparse. Outside of the Boise State and San Diego State conversations, there is not a hotbed of local schools that could be poached. That, coupled with multiple teams showing interest in the Big 12, will result in the death of the Pac-12.
Here comes the life of the Big 12 part. Bringing schools like Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado on board creates a third mega-conference with the SEC and Big 10. To stay afloat, it will take poaching teams. The Big 12 will start with those four, and then it will make its way to Washington and Oregon.
With these additions, there is no denying the Big 12 as a power conference in collegiate athletics.
On Locked On Baylor, Drake and Cameron broke down how the Big 12 is in a much better spot as opposed to a year ago and how the league will thrive in the current climate of college athletics.
With this stability, Baylor is safer than ever. The school will assuredly remain in one of the nation's premier leagues, and the brand will continue to grow as a product of such.
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