The 2024 college football season was full of change. The expansion of the College Football Playoff (CFP), conference realignment, and the continued advancements of NIL were leading the charge of change. For the Big Ten, 2024 was the first season with Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA.
But what would have happened if the Pac-12 never dissolved?
First, let’s examine how school did in 2024. There’s no denying Big Ten play is tougher than Pac-12 play was in recent years. That makes Oregon’s 12-0, Big Ten Championship season even more impressive. USC, UCLA and Washington, however, didn’t have the same success. USC and Washington went 6-6, while UCLA missed out on bowl eligibility with a 5-7 record.
The Pac-12 schools who fled for the ACC had rough seasons themselves. Despite having the honor of hosting College GameDay for the first time, Cal hit a tough stretch in the middle of the season on the way to a 6-6 record with a bowl loss to UNLV. Stanford finished a forgettable 3-9.
On the other hand, some of the schools that landed in the Big 12 had success. Arizona State won the Big 12 in its first year in the conference and went to the CFP. Colorado also had a nice 9-4 season.
Had the Pac-12 never dissolved, they would have had two powerhouse teams in Arizona State and Oregon battling it out for conference supremacy. As the Ducks went undefeated until the CFP, let’s assume they would have won the Pac-12 and retained the No. 1 overall seed. Under the CFP structure of 2024 (which lasted all of one year), Arizona State would have been on the bubble.
In the conference supremacy battle, the Pac-12 would have clearly been a step below the SEC and Big Ten. However, without the Pac-12 schools bailing for the Big 12, those two conferences would have likely been on par with each other in 2024.
As for Big Ten play…
Source link : https://www.maizenbrew.com/2025/6/7/24444353/big-ten-football-oregon-ducks-usc-trojans-washington-ucla-pac-12-football-2024
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Publish date : 2025-06-07 12:30:00
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