(07-11-2017 06:16 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  I haven't posted a crazy theory in a while and I've got the itch so I was thinking about this today...

I'm not trying to piggyback on the Dude here because I think he has no clue what he's talking about, but let's assume for a moment that the financial issues and distribution difficulties of the PAC do indeed lead to trouble on the West Coast.

I do NOT think the Big 12 is going to snag PAC schools. I think perhaps the geographical limitations will prevent the B1G or the SEC from doing so either. But let's think back to the last time 2 leagues with relative proximity were both having financial issues coupled with demographic shortfalls...the Big 8 and the SWC died off and the remnants reformed as the Big 12.

What if we see something akin to this happen again?

What if ESPN decides to go all in with the PAC once the contract is up in the early 2020s with this sort of scenario in mind?

PAC drops Washington State and Oregon State

Big 12 drops Kansas State, TCU, Baylor, and West Virginia

The remnants merge with an ESPN owned 3rd Tier network that combines the existing PACN with the LHN...

The Pacific Western Conference?

West: UCLA, USC, California, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State

East: Utah, Colorado, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Iowa State


Thoughts?

Bullet has mentioned this possibility and as time goes by I think the idea is gaining plausibility, being that the traditional method of poaching might lead to too many programs left in the lurch and schools like Texsa, OU and KU don't want to go to a conference outside their core region if they could help themselves.

Economics being what they are should the PAC and Big 12 merge then there will be no other moves by the other major conferences other than maybe the ACC looking at West Virginia or Notre Dame joining in football. At some point the values of the Big Ten, SEC and a merged PAC/B12 would be as such that no other school could add to their values. And the ACC would still be somewhat protected by the fact that they're more valuable stuck together than split off into individual pieces.

So the Big Ten and SEC would remain at 14 each, the PacXVI going to 16 and being the conference for the three most Westerly timezones would be a great outcome considering the alternatives and the ACC being the ACC.

My questions are:

- Would the PAC presidents forego their ego and pride if they realize this is the only way to end their conference's geographic isolation?

- Who would have the media contract?

The AAC would be a beneficiary by getting the leftovers from the programs the PACXVI can't afford to bring along. They'd finally have the pieces to create a national conference.

Say Wazzu, BYU, Colorado State, Oregon State and Boise represent the West.

KState, TCU, Baylor, Houston, Memphis

Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, Navy, East Carolina

UConn, Cincinnati, UCF, USF, Temple

West Virginia could slip to take Cincinnati's place, depending.