LOS ANGELES — It was the news that shocked the sports world on Thursday and is going to have long and reverberating effects: USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 10 in 2024. This move will definitely impact WSU, and I think it’ll impact Gonzaga as well, so let’s get into it.
DEVASTATING IMPACTS FOR WSU
For WSU, this is, not even being dramatic, devastating.
I would be shocked if this is the only defection in the Pac-12, and there are already reports circulating that UW, Oregon, Stanford and Cal may be on their way to the Big 10 as well. So, right now, the Pac-12 schools left holding the bag are WSU, Oregon State, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State. Some of those schools could also entertain leaving for other conferences outside of the Big 10.
The Pac-12 will most likely have to back fill from the Mountain West. I would imagine San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State and possibly Fresno State all get offered to move up. Still, that doesn’t exactly replace a school like USC or UCLA.
This means that the conference's TV package won't be worth as much money with the LA schools out, which impacts WSU's bottom line as they get a piece of those TV revenues. This will put an even bigger financial strain on WSU and their athletic programs. This, simply put, is rough.
GONZAGA TO THE PAC-12?
To be honest, I would be shocked if Gonzaga was in the WCC in two years’ time. In fact, the conference might not exist unless they pilfer some of the WAC as the Mountain West will probably draw from the WCC. So, the question is where would Gonzaga go?
We’ve heard for 20 years that the Pac-12 refused to add GU because they didn’t have football. Well, that might change now. Gonzaga is a prestige school and the conference needs all the help they can get. Having the #1 team in the country year in and year out would be a feather in the conference’s cap and would at least add something to a league that is in rough shape. Not to mention, Gonzaga’s other main teams, women’s basketball and baseball, are now NCAA Tournament teams every year as well. I honestly think this makes a lot of sense for the Pac-12 to pursue.
GONZAGA TO THE BIG EAST?
However, I don’t think the Zags end up there. I think they end up in the Big East.
The WCC is a basketball conference. Gonzaga wants to be in a basketball conference and the Big East is THE college basketball conference in the country. We know there were rumors a few months ago about this happening, and all I’m going to say is that those didn’t come from nowhere.
Yes, the travel is difficult, but Gonzaga flies on private jets all the time. They live like travel kings.
The perfect situation for Gonzaga is this: Put men’s and women’s basketball in the Big East and put the rest of their sports in the Pac-12. This would be a tough sell to the Pac to be honest, but we’ve seen crazy things.
I’ll just wrap up by saying this: This is a historic moment for college sports and is going to change the landscape of them forever. As one person at WSU told me, "So much for summer." We’re going to see the effects of this one play out for weeks to come.
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