Will Pac-12 Add Mountain West Teams?
What will happen to the Pac-12?
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Will Mountain West membership take a hit?
The Big Ten pulled one of the biggest heists off in college football history by taking USC and UCLA from the Pac-12. This is going to cause some massive ripple effect with the Big Ten going to 16 teams, and possibly more.
This move seems more like shuffling at the top and not teams being able to climb the ladder.
On a seismic day in college athletics, @PeteThamel draws comparisons to the last time the college world was turned this upside down.
(Hint: it was less than 365 days ago) pic.twitter.com/hmjWy4gCpT
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) June 30, 2022
If the Pac-12 were to add teams and they can’t raid the Big 12. Then they might turn to the Mountain West and try to keep that prestigious name of the conference.
The teams that would be mentioned are the usual suspects of Boise State and San Diego State as they have been winning the most within the Mountain West over the past five-plus years.
— Alex Kirry (@AlexKirryKSL) June 30, 2022
They are clearly no USC or UCLA, however, the Aztecs have won their fair share of games against the Pac-12 with wins over UCLA, Arizona, Utah, and others.
Also, the Aztecs have their brand new SnapDragon Stadium that is opening up this year and wouldn’t look out of place among the majority of the other Pac-12 teams.
The Broncos have the big brand name among non-power teams and even though they haven’t been in the running for a New Year’s Six game in a while, but they have been in conference title games.
The Pac-12 can’t be picky so they need to take quality teams and maybe take a step back with their academic requirements.
Colorado State is really invested in football with its new-ish stadium and they spent money on bringing in Jay Norvell to be the head coach. The big next step is to start winning at a high level and Norvell could be that guy.
An out-of-the-box move is UNLV as they play in the Las Vegas Raiders stadium which is world-class and they are a growing metropolis with high-quality high school programs in the area.
Could Mountain West and Pac-12 Teams?
On the flip side, could the Mountain West add any Pac-12 teams? Never say never, and anything can happen. Two names that could join the Mountain West would be some leftovers with Oregon State and Washington State to get the team to 14.
It makes a lot of sense as the four California schools could be in the Big Ten and/or Oregon and Washington. Those teams would fit in just fine.
Below is a list of some ideas of who could end up where and it makes a lot of sense, and it includes the Cougars and Beavers to the Mountain West.
My uneducated guess on what happens to the Pac-12
Arizona- Big 12
Arizona St- Big 12
Cal -Independent/Big Ten
Colorado- Big 12
Oregon- Big Ten
Oregon St – Big 12/MWC
Standford -Independent/Big Ten
UCLA- Big Ten
USC- Big Ten
Utah – Big 12
Washington – Big Ten
Wazzu – Big 12/MWC— Kevin Wade (@KwadeSays) June 30, 2022
Adding those two could make the Mountain West a touch better than where the league is right now and put them above the AAC. Who knows what the pecking order really is among the leagues but if we are still using Group of Five terms the Mountain West would be at the top.
