The decision by the Pac-12 and ACC in January to block a 12-team, six-automatic-bid College Football Playoff proposal could go down as most ill-advised in the history of college athletics.
The plan on the table offered almost certain annual access to the playoff and a tie, both politically and financially, to the mighty SEC and Big Ten. The deal was expected to earn over $1 billion per year.
A path to compete for a championship is the single most important factor in recruiting. It’s why in basketball even small schools from small conferences such as Gonzaga can routinely sign future NBA lottery picks. Additionally, a guaranteed route to the playoff makes both regular season and conference championship games more valuable and relevant.
It is part golden ticket, part life preserver.
And the Pac-12 and ACC decided to throw it aside.
Now it’s possibly gone for good.
After the Big Ten raided the Pac-12 Thursday for league members USC and UCLA, the era of the super conference has arrived. The Power Five is now the Big Two. The SEC and the Big Ten are the sport’s northstars; their size, strength and financial resources dwarf everyone else.
Just like that the Pac-12 and ACC moved closer to the AAC and Mountain West than the Big Ten and SEC. Their spot at the cool kids’ table in the cafeteria has been revoked. Their power is gone.
The future of not just the playoff, but of the Pac-12 itself, is up in the air. A league whose roots stretch proudly back to 1913 could be out of business by 2024. In the hours after USC and UCLA left, sources across college athletics said all 10 of the remaining Pac-12 schools inquired about leaving as well, mostly to the Big Ten or Big 12. Everyone is trying to jump ship.
The ACC isn’t in immediate trouble yet, but its days as anything close to an equal partner with the SEC and Big Ten are all but over.
The uneven nature of media rights likely would have lured USC and UCLA to leave anyway. Big Ten schools may earn $50 million or more per year than Pac-12 schools when its new television contracts are announced.
Had the Pac-12 made a deal for the playoff six months ago, though, at least the conference would be sitting on a near-certain spot in the postseason.
The proposal called for six automatic bids to the champion of the six highest-ranked leagues each season. The Pac-12 and ACC would achieve that virtually every season. If they really wanted to haggle, they probably could have negotiated auto-bids for the five biggest…