Two contingents hold the cards in different ways to the future of the Pac-12.
First, you have the three remaining Four Corner schools: Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. As Sports Illustrated reported earlier this week, it’s unclear whether both Arizona schools are a package deal due to the fact that they share a board of regents, but the thought earlier in the week is that Arizona is the more moveable of the two in the Big 12’s estimation. Both Arizonas leaving may also take Utah off of the fence and push it to leave the league as well, significantly shifting the Big 12’s footprint even more westward than just Colorado and BYU. But as that decision process rages on another parallel one has emerged further north.
The addition of at least Oregon and Washington is being vetted by the Big Ten, and on multiple fronts, the Pac-12 is looking like it can break apart at seemingly a moment’s notice. There are multiple ways this can go for the Pacific Northwest powers, but the clearest four have their own intrigue and caveats attached.
