The Decline of Pac-12 Football: Realignment, Super Conferences, and the Erosion of College Football’s Middle Class

The sport’s two biggest conferences continue to get larger, leaving many to wonder what will happen to the other Power 5 conferences as the Pac-12 continues toward extinction

There was a brief period of time, where some of the best college football being played was on the West Coast. In the decade of the 2000s USC was dominant winning 4 Rose Bowls and 2 national championships under Pete Carroll, Oregon enjoyed multiple 10-win seasons under Mike Belotti and Chip Kelly, and even Boise State was dominating in the WAC with multiple 10-win seasons and a shocking upset of Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. For a while it seemed that the Pac-12 was a viable competitor to the inevitable dominance of the SEC.

But as soon as it arrived it seemed that the magic had left. Recently, Colorado announced that they will be moving back to the Big 12 in 2024. The move may seem like a relatively pedestrian story since the Buffaloes have been at the bottom of the conference for years. However, the fans in Boulder finally have something to cheer for with the arrival of new head coach Deion Sanders and a strong recruiting class due to his presence. The conference also seems to be on the verge of losing Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. Losing these…