After losing UCLA and USC to the Big Ten, Colorado announced today that they are going back to the Big 12 in 2024-2025.
They are down to 9 members now, and 7 of those have gymnastics programs.
Future looks bleak for Pac 12.https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football/college-football-realignment-colorado-votes-to-join-big-12
There has been talk of Washington and Oregon going to the Big Ten and Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State potentially going to Big 12.
That would leave Stanford, Oregon State and Cal as the sole teams in Pac 12 gymnastics should this all happen, meaning no conference championships, unless they took on affiliate members.
Five years ago, I would have said it was the Big 12 that would disband. Losing UCLA and USC might be a death sentence.
I just don’t see how they can make up losing essentially the entire Southern California media market. There aren’t really schools that you can poach from other conferences that would ever make up for it.
It sucks for gymnastics fans because The Pac-10 has the best gymnastics TV coverage in the country along with the SEC. I am not looking forward to watching UCLA meets with the Big 10’s horrible commentators.
Who commentates for big 10?
I’m hoping that with UCLA going to the Big Ten, so will Janay Honest, who has excellent potential in commentating IMO.
and leave Jim Watson to rot at home.
I am not a regular watcher of any of the teams in the Big 10, but I do know Olivia Karas has done a lot of commentary, which is probably quite good, but in the past Shawn Johnson had a pretty large role. I’m not sure if she still does.
Olivia Karas drives me nuts. I don’t think she adds any value to a broadcast.
and internationally they are really the best! That YouTube stream they have for us is lovely!
There is also talk of Oregon State and Washington going to the SEC. Right now the word is that Utah is probably going to stay put in PAC12, but the PAC12 commissioner better get off his rear and get a media rights contract down fast, or the conference is dead
Oregon, not Oregon State and Washington potentially going to the Big Ten, not SEC.
From what I’ve been reading, it seems the Big 12 is quite interested in getting Arizona, ASU, and Utah to jump ship, in contrast to the Big 10 which seems rather lukewarm on Washington/Oregon.
I’ve also seen that the ACC wants to snag West Virginia. It doesn’t seem likely from what I’ve read, but they would be a great addition to the 4 ACC teams and could add a lot of intrigue to their conference champs.
If the PAC12 dissolves, the women’s NCAA gymnastics teams will likely compete where the Stanford, Cal, Air Force, and Oklahoma already men do - the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF conference). The Nebraska men were in the MPSF before Nebraska went to the B1G.
Big 10 doesn’t need Washington/Oregon the way Big 12 needs Arizona, ASU and Utah. With UCLA and USC, the Big Ten is now in the 4 largest media markets in the country, 5 of the top 10, and 8 of the top 20.
If the B10 wants to blow things up, they would pick up Oregon and Washington. A move like that and the SEC would definitely be forced to respond, the SEC could look to some ACC programs or try to move west and whats left of Pac 12. It would have a real cascading effect.
It’s official.
Washington and Oregon head to Big 10.
If the teams from the universities which get left out still exist. Gymnastics is an expensive sport, and if places (most likely Cal and Oregon State) lose most of their sports-related income cuts will have to be made somewhere.
Well that about does it for the PAC-10. I wonder what Utah is going to do.
Rumors of Arizona, ASU, Utah going to Big 12.
Colorado already made the switch to Big 12, so we shall see.