The Pac-12 is dead! Long live the Big 12!

I am a Pac-12 fan. I have been for over 35 years, and I will be for one more season, but come this time next year the Pac-12 will not actually exist, or it will be some kind of Pac-12/Mountain West Frankenstein Conference. That makes me sad, but the world will probably continue to spin on its axis and the sun will come up on the college football world again in August of 2024.

The demise of the Pac-12 does bring me some happiness. Why? Because with the demise of one of the Power 5 conferences bring “stability” to my other favorite college conference, the Big 12. By stability I mean the Big 12 seems to have ensured their existence as Power 4 conference through at least the 2031 school year. I do not know what the buyouts are for early exits, but 8 more seasons as a power conference seem relatively certain. Thank you, Larry Scott and George Kliavkoff for your incompetence and Brett Yormark for your swift action.

So I look forward to welcoming the four corner schools to the Big 12. I look forward to seeing new conference opponents on the football field and basketball court. It may be a full season away, but what are we getting when Sun Devils, Wildcats, Buffs, and Utes join the league ahead of the 24/25 season? Here are my thoughts on the schools and what will bring to the conference a year from now.

Arizona State

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Football

My impression of the Sun Devils on the football field is they are perennial underachievers. Even in recent years when the expectations have not been high, but interest peaked by the hiring of Herm Edwards, they have not been able to meet even mediocre expectations. This season they have a new coach and new hopes, but until you see results on the field don’t believe any ASU hype. Since 2018 they have gone 7-6, 8-5, 2-2, 8-5, and 3-9. Not terrible until last season when the Herm Edwards experiment imploded in scandal and bad football. It just never rose to contend for a middling Pac-12 South title.

Best Player All-time with an NFL career

Probably Darren Woodson. Significant contributor on 3 Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl-winning teams.

Football bottom line

They bring a lot of eyeballs and a chance to win practically every time you play them.

Basketball

Bobby Hurley is the coach. I hate Bobby Hurley! The program he has built in Tempe over the last 8 seasons has been inconsistent. 4 times his team has finished above .500 and 4 times below. Overall, he is 141-113 with 3 NCAA tournament appearances and 0 games played in the second round.

Best Player with an NBA career

I am not sure but I will nominate three: Fat Lever, Byron Scott, or James Hardin.

Basketball Bottom line

They are a threat to beat you if you are not prepared, but are inconsistent from year to year. They are Iowa State in a warmer climate.

Other

Located in Tempe and part of the growing metropolis of Pheonix, has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 65,000 and will be the second largest school in the conference when it enters, easily outpacing outgoing Big 12 member Texas which has approximately 52,000 undergrads and coming in just behind Big 12 newcomer UCF which has approximately 70,000 undergrads. Big undergraduate enrollment brings a huge alumni base. What does ASU bring to the conference? Potentially eyeballs, eyeballs, eyeballs, that is what ASU brings.

Arizona

Football

Of recent, they have been terrible. Over the last 20 years, they have hired a series of coaches who rose above their true abilities, Mike Stoops(41-50), Rich Rodriguez (43-35), and bottoming out with Kevin Sumlin(9-20). Two seasons ago they hired Jed Fisch. He went 1-11 in his first season when the talent cupboard was bare, and in his second season, his team showed a big improvement, going 5-7, equaling their combined win total for the previous 3 seasons.

Best Player All-time with an NFL career

For a school that has a history of success, it is a short list to choose from: Night Train Lane? I know the name. Dan Dierdorf? I know his announcing. Terrell Suggs? Maybe.But I think the pick is Larry Fitzgerald, and I think it would be tough to make an argument someone was better.

Football bottom line

Their history and potential turnaround under Fisch give them a chance to be a Baylor-like team. They will probably get overlooked for bigger names, but be a tough beat. If the Jed Fisch reign is unsuccessful, they will continue to be a very beatable team for a long period of time.

Basketball

This is where Arizona brings value, their past and present are well documented. The Big 12 may not be regarded as the best football conference in the country, but replacing Texas with Arizona makes the best basketball conference even better.

Best Player All-time with an NBA career

Maybe you take Sean Elliot, his college career was excellent and he won an NBA title with the Spurs, but I will go with his Arizona teammate, Steve Kerr. He was great in college, he has 5 NBA titles as a player and 4 as a head coach.

Other

Despite its isolated location in the high desert of Arizona, the Wildcats will be the 5th largest school by undergraduate enrollment with about 37,500 enrollees just behind newcomer Cincinnati which boasts 40,000 undergrads.

Colorado

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Football

Dion Sanders. That’s the draw here. You may remember the Buffs as a dominating team challenging for and even winning a national championship, but it has been 33 years since that championship. From the 2000 season to the present, Colorado has had two 10-win seasons and only four seasons with 8 or more wins. In their 12 seasons in the Pac-12, they have had one 10-win season. In the other 11 seasons, they have topped out at 5 wins 3 times. Karl Dorrell was a disaster as a head coach. Now Dion is the man and the draw. Is he just a hype man that got enough talent for Jackson State to win, or is he the rare commodity that can do and teach?

Best Player All-time with an NFL career

Cliff Branch. There are plenty of really good players from Colorado’s glory days of the late 80s and 90s, but Branch is the player with the most NFL success.

Football bottom line

Recent history says the Buffs are bad and will continue to be bad, but there is success in their past, and hope that Dion can bring them back.

Basketball

Tad Boyle was there when Colorado skip out to the Pac-12, and he is still there as the Buffs prepare for their last season in the conference. That should tell you all you need to know about Buffs basketball. They have been consistent winners if not a tournament-successful team. They have finished a season ranked in the top-25 once, during Boyle’s tenure.

Best Player All-time with an NBA career

Chauncey Billups. He turned down an offer from KU, he led Colorado to its first NCAA bid in 28 years, and then went to the NBA as the 3rd overall pick to the Boston Celtics. His 19 years in the NBA included 1 NBA Championship and a Finals MVP with Detroit.

Other

I like the return of Colorado to the conference. They were never a good fit in the Pac-12, and KU fans always seem to enjoy the road trip to Boulder.

Utah

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Football

They have been the best team in the Pac-12 for the last 5 years. Playing in the conference championship 4 times and winning it the last two seasons. As long as Kyle Whittingham remains at the helm, the Utes will be a formidable opponent. They may not have the profile of an OU or Texas, but over the last 5 years, they have been the better team. Utah has an opportunity to come into the league and be a contender if not a favorite for the championship in their first season.

Best Player All-time with an NFL career

I could go old school and pick Jamal Anderson. I could go really old school and choose Bob Trumpy. I could be a homer and choose Alex Smith, but the right choice is probably Steve Smith, a 5-time Pro Bowl selection.

Football bottom line

In my opinion, starting in 2024, this is the team to beat if your team thinks it is a contender for the conference championship.

Basketball

Long gone are the heady days of Rick Majerus, RIP. Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, they have made the NCAA tournament just twice. In those seasons they went 26-9 and 27-9. Outside of those two seasons, the Utes range from sub-par to a tough but beatable team. Kind of how I feel about Oklahoma State. You should always beat them, but that is easier said than done.

Best Player All-time with an NBA career

The choice probably comes down to either Tom Chambers or Keith Van Horn. If I based my choice only on their time playing at Utah, I would go with Keith Van Horn, he really was great in his time there, but I am going with Tom Chambers. He had a terrific career in Salt Lake City, and he backed it up with a more than solid NBA career which included 4 All-Star Games selections and an All-Star Game MVP.

Other

The addition of the Utes is good on the rivalry front, they bring two established rivalry games to the conference. Along with fellow newcomer BYU, they will bring their version of the Holy War. With conference returnee Colorado, they bring the Rumble in the Rockies.