The Pac-12 was once considered one of the most elite fixtures of college basketball. But now, it has significantly shrunk due to conference realignment. The biggest blow came to it when ten of the twelve Pac-12 schools left for other conferences, leaving behind only Oregon State and Washington State.<\/p>\n
Though the conference is actively trying to recruit more schools into its rebuilding, the future of it remains unsure. Miami Heat star Jaime Jaquez Jr. recently shed light on the slow death of the Pac-12 on Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink\u2019s \u201cStraight to Cam\u201d podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jaquez Jr. is a former UCLA college player, having played in the Pac-12 conference till 2023. He was also the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023. Hence, it\u2019s justified to say why he misses Pac-12 the way he does. Speaking to Brink, Jaquez Jr. highlighted the main reason he believes led to the downfall of the conference.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s just too much money now in college sports, and they\u2019re probably just gonna the big 10 and SEC are just gonna buy up all the, you know, relevant, high major teams. So that\u2019s why I just, I don\u2019t think so. I think PAC 12, they had an opportunity. They missed it. They wanted to create the PAC 12 network, \u201d Jaquez Jr. said (54:35).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What Jaime Jaquez Jr. is referencing here is the Pac-12 Network, an erstwhile digital cable and satellite television network owned by the conference itself. It had six regional sports channels like the Pac-12 Arizona, Pac-12 Bay Area, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Mountain, Pac-12 Oregon, and Pac-12 Washington that featured games of schools in this region.<\/p>\n Jaquez Jr. says that the conference should have signed with the prominent networks such as ESPN or Fox Sports since no one was actually subscribing to the conference\u2019s network. Unfortunately, since the departure of 10 schools from the conference, the network shut down on June 30, 2024.<\/p>\n Pac-12 was stripped off its power conference status<\/p>\n On April 22, 2024, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted to strip the Pac-12 off it\u2019s power conference status. This essentially meant the league lost it\u2019s special decision-making authority within the NCAA\u2019s governance.<\/p>\n Cut to present, the Pac-12 is not far removed from adding an eighth football-playing school to its roster. They are still trying to fully regain their legislative privileges that it once held before the departure of the 10 colleges. College football analyst Ross Dellenger recently clarified the Pac-12\u2019s status in the college sports landscape.<\/p>\n The confusion mainly stemmed from a statement made by the College Sports Commission. Dellenger clarified<\/a> that though the Pac-12 was still associated with the Power Four in all House settlement-related matters since the league was named a defendant when a suit was filed in 2020.<\/p>\n However, for the College Football Playoff and NCAA Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Basketball Tournaments, the Pac-12 isn\u2019t considered a powerhouse conference.<\/p>\n However, as for the NCAA & CFP, the Pac-12 is not a \u201cpower conference.\u201d<\/p>\n NCAA Board stripped the league of its autonomous legislative powers and the CFP Board reflected that designation with a tiered revenue-distribution model, though a new CFP governance model remains incomplete<\/p>\n \u2014 Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Just last month, the league added Texas State as a full-time member starting from the 2026-27 season. This addition meant that the Pac-12 now met the NCAA\u2019s minimum requirements of being in the Football Bowl Subdivision.<\/p>\n By next year, Pac-12 might consist of Boise State, Colorado State, Frenso State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Utah State, Texas State, oregon State, and Washington State.<\/p>\n College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in\u00a0football<\/a>,\u00a0basketball<\/a>, and more!<\/p>\n