SAN DIEGO — During the souped-up muscle car race on the Modern Collegiate Athletics Speedway, the Pac-12 had lost horsepower and got itself lapped.
And so it eventually became a jalopy stalled on the tracks, with the money train fast approaching.
I'm not going to say I'm shockproof, for me it was nothing more than a mild surprise when USC and UCLA turned in their letterman's jackets to leave a conference on fumes and four flats for the numerically challenged but rich, tricked-up Big Ten.
How can there be shockwaves when one considers the crazy current currently running through college sports?
Hundreds of disgruntled athletes are traveling to other programs willy-nilly for playing time and NIL money.
And the Trojans and Bruins aren't the first schools to cut the ropes and pull away from long-standing docks. Oklahoma and Texas, two of the top 10 football colleges in history, are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.
This, really, is no bigger deal than that. Except the Pac-12 is losing the two major football schools in the nation's second-largest market.
The conference, once the best, has lost its greatness. And its most historic football program (USC) and basketball program (UCLA) are, quite simply, leaving for the dough while getting the dough is good (Big Ten TV money will be double what they've been getting).
The conference is spineless, and it's going to be scrambling to survive. As it is, there are rumors Oregon may be leaving the league and, along with independent Notre Dame, joining the Big Ten, with the Arizona schools joining the Big 12.
So, don't touch that dial. The dominoes are lined up from Southern California to Piscataway, N.J., home of Big Ten footwipe Rutgers. And they are unsteady, at best.
Logistically, it's mysterious, Fiscally, it is genius.
Looking at the billions the NBA is shelling out for players who aren't going to win their teams anything that matters, why should anyone be upset by this? If even the fittest fall behind, they may not be able to catch up.
They're talking about maybe two superconferences by the time the music stops and everyone in this go-round is seated. There are 129 Division I football programs now. There won't be when the band leaves the stage, maybe half of that.
As for the travel, there will be plenty of money for chartered flights. Teams have been known to travel for hours by bus. This has been thought out. This was premeditated.
Now, where does this leave San Diego State, one of the three Division I football schools in Southern California? They were talking about joining the Pac-8 when I was going there and Don Coryell was boat-racing everything in his regatta, then the Pac-10, then the Pac-12. USC and UCLA recruit here. They didn't want the Aztecs on their lake.
But the Pac-12's legs are wobbly. It's going to be desperate. If it survives — and reports say they're exploring all avenues — the Aztecs, with top-25 caliber football and basketball programs, a new stadium, fine arena, and good Olympic sports teams, finally may have a chance.
I wouldn't bet on it. This is, after all, San Diego. Living here all my life, I have thousands of reasons to be skeptical.
