The Truth About Pac-12 Expansion!

let's get into Pack 12 expansion and talk about the truth on Pack 12 expansion because obviously yesterday was a bomb show um didn't have a lot of time at 4 in the morning uh to get as much information as we wanted but now um we have had an entire day 24 hours to kind of talk to a lot of sources on this and there's some interesting color in the background about how this whole thing came together and one of the biggest questions I think that people have is why did they do this now what was it that made the Pack 12 expand with blasa state with Fresno State with Colorado State and San Diego State now it seems like odd timing in the middle of September uh to just make this huge announcement well now we know according to sources close to the situation in the Pack 12 that Oregon State and Washington State allegedly tried to get membership in the Big 12 they talked to Brett ymark uh at length about the possibility of those two programs folding into the Big 12 and ending the existence of the Pack 12 I am told by sources close to the Big 12 that those conversations did indeed happen but never went anywhere and they never went anywhere very quickly uh I think that we have talked openly about the value at Oregon State and the value that that athletic brand would have to a power five conference but that door seems to be closed and I think what really pushed the Pack 12 in really Oregon State and Washington State to make this move which by multiple sources was called a hostile takeover of the Mountain West which I think is very accurate and I'll get to that in a minute but what forced the Pack 2 to take this hostile action against the Mountain West was the big 12 in Yukon because I think what the Pack 2 learned through the Yukon situation was hey you just told us Big 12 that you weren't interesting in expanding with us and then the news that Yukon was close and was likely going to join the Big 12 I think really slap the pack two in the face and I am told that specifically with Oregon State they were surprised that those conversations were so advanced yet the Big 12 wasn't interested in having the same level of seriousness in conversations with the Pack 2 and that really spurred the Pack 2 Oregon State and Washington state to become much more aggressive and Shrink this timeline for their future because that's really what this was I don't believe based on what I've been told by sources that the Pack 2 all along was looking at the Mountain West as their path to rebuilding the conference I I think based on what I've been told by sources it was far more in the plans for the Pack 2 to join a power League that they together or separately would join the ACC the Big 10 the SEC or the Big 12 and go about building their future in that league but that very quickly came to an end when they attempted to do just that and the door was slammed they never got anywhere with the SEC they never got anywhere with the big 10 and it did not seem like and I I I give Scott Barnes a lot of credit for this the athletic director at Oregon State who really is one of the the power players in this whole equation Scott Barnes who I've told you on this show I have an enormous amount of respect for I covered him when he was at Utah State that program's gone down since he left as the athletic director Oregon state has done nothing but rise it became very clear to Scott Barnes that he had to do something to save the future of his university and by extend mention the future of that conference and I think this was a very pragmatic move and it was the only move and unfortunately what it does is it puts the Pack 12 in a situation of destroying the Mountain West you took their biggest brands their biggest markets their biggest TV guys you took the brands that had the most value to TV distribution and it wasn't by accident you did that with an effort to rebuild now some of the details behind this I am told by multiple sources that it is absolutely a hostile takeover of the Mountain West that the Pack 12 wanted to add UNLV and several other brands in that league but certainly did not have interest in all the brands in that league and they are currently still negotiating with uh Gloria navarez and the rest of the the leadership of the Mountain West on how to put an end to this situation because I am told with a lot of certainty that the Pack 12 is going to add more members and I think it it specifically people are pointing at UNLV but that the Pack 12 will add more membership from the Mountain West it is almost a certainty how that happens and on what timeline that happens well I think that's a very interesting question but make no mistake about it this is not the end for the Pack 12 this is the beginning because sources close to that situation unequivocally and without waiver told that they will be at 10 teams not six and not eight that they will be at 10 at a minimum is their goal and they would like to do that within uh a very short timeline and their their plan to do that is to negotiate with the Mountain West uh on what they can and what they cannot do and how much it's going to cost them because they have kind of a handshake agreement that they're going to pause poaching members of the Mountain West while they negotiate what that will look like because there is a very large belief and having talked to college football sources and TV industry sources about this it's over for the Mountain West there is no path to sustainability or a future existence without those four members certainly without Boise State who is the crown jewel of That League yeah that that really was a damaging blow then you throw Fresno State uh Colorado State and San Diego State into that mix and you are in a really difficult spot and if you take UNLV out of that league and and the common belief across most of college football is that UNLV will have no choice but to go to the Pack 12 if in fact they have not burned that bridge because there is a lot of wondering and head tilting about why unlb was not in the the first four of that group but I am told it's because the Pack 12 agreed to hold off on that it's not anything to do with whether or not the Pack 12 has a desire to add UNLV because certainly they do according to my sources they absolutely want UNLV in the fold they value Las Vegas as a market they value the economy in Las Vegas and the revenue stream that Las Vegas can be on multiple fronts whether that can be your Hub it hosts your tournaments it hosts your champ Conference Championship Game whether it is an e-commerce Center they love the fact that there are uh a number of big-time conventions where they can go and sell uh I mean it it just has all kinds of possibilities and when you say hey yeah Las Vegas is the home of the Pack 12 it kind of changes the tone of well hey I'm Brett ymark I'm flying in to meet you in Las Vegas kind of it's a different conversation which brings me to my next point about the Pack 12 the Pack 12 is acutely aware of who they are and where they are the Pack 12 is not pursuing a power designation and we had this conversation yesterday and I think this is a really really important part of this make no mistake about it if you are not a power designated power conference you do not have an automatic qualifier into the college football playoff and yes steuart Mandel pointed out that it does there is no such thing as a power four conference that's absolutely true but do you really believe that and you can pick your conference Champion Boise State let's say Boise State wins that conference and Fresno State is undefeated or has one loss and that one loss is the conference Championship Game Miss Fresno State getting in over Old Miss is Fresno State getting in over Michigan what if Michigan doesn't win the Big 10 Championship well Ani got to put Fresno State in yeah actually we don't we don't they're gonna get four from the Big 10 they're gonna get four from the SEC you're gonna get one I would think one from the ACC and one from the Big 12 so let me ask you this do the math on that that's 10 two spots left one goes to the the the highest ranked G5 conference Champion do you really think they're going to put the second highest ranked G5 conference champion in do you think they're going to put the next highest ranked G5 football team in they're not going to do that you think they'll put Notre Dame in if a one loss Notre Dame runs the table do they get in before again a Fresno State what if San Diego State pulls one out of their rectums and has a great season you think fres or do you think San Diego State's getting in over a one loss Notre Dame team no they're not and we can sit and we can have these cool conversations about oh it's neat and the G5 and they have a CH they don't have a chance they don't have a chance and we can try to live in this utopic Society where we think oh well manty there's no such thing as a power designation it's the top five ranked you know Conference champions okay well there's seven spots left so you have the the the non-existent power four and the a G5 that's five okay all those Conference champions are in do you really think Greg sanki is giving up any spot he doesn't have to look look at the look at the AP Top 25 we've talked about this at length on the show right we've talked about this at length let me ask you something where's the G5 team on this oh oh Northern Illinois who thinks Northern Illinois is getting in let's say Northern Illinois and Notre Dame are a one loss Team Notre Dame gets in or Northern Illinois gets in Notre Dame in because of their schedule as crappy as it is it's still better than NIU right you you look at look look at the tops 10 SEC SEC Big 10 SEC SEC SEC SEC Big 10 Big 10 ACC let me ask you this uh let's say that Miami wins the ACC Championship Florida State's a one lost team we're now a two- lost team pick whoever you want in the ACC do you think they're getting in over Northern Illinois yeah they are yeah they are furthermore do you think USC do you think USC's getting in over Northern Illinois I mean USC is a one lost team M Northern Illinois beat Notre Dame well so did USC furthermore USC lost to Notre Dame they're still getting in over Northern Illinois I I I don't even know why this is an argument the idea the idea that Greg sanki or Tony petiti or Jim Phillips or Brett ymark that they're going to give up any of their money so that we can have Northern Illinois in the in the college football playoff along with boisey State you're out of your mind one G5 team and in the rarest of occasions okay maybe two maybe two that does not mean the pack or any other G5 has an automatic qualifier unless they are absolutely the highest ranked G5 conference champion and I will sit here today and tell you for the next two years I think it is highly unlikely that multiple g5s get in highly unlikely it would have to be a catastrophe on the highest order the fact that you have Oregon sputtering because who thinks that Oregon is playing great football because I don't think any of us do they're still going to get the benefit of the doubt over any of your garden variety utas your garden variety South Florida that's just the reality of it and we can sit here and we can we can talk about how great it is that the Pack 12 is back oh my God the storyline they're not getting an automatic qualifier they're not and if they have 10 teams and one of their teams goes undefeated and wins the conference will they likely be if that's where or state will be will they be the highest ranked potentially but how do you get past the strength of schedule component because there is no bitter more Broken Man on Notre Dame football than yours truly me this guy and if Oregon States a on loss team that one loss had better not be to another G5 you'd better find a way to have Oregon on your schedule every year and you better beat Oregon and if you lose a game it better only beat to Oregon or you're not getting in and if if if you go on and you win your conference you better hope that you're the highest rank and C Cinderella couldn't find her slipper because you are it's just beyond me it's beyond me that somehow Fanboy on Twitter and and uh DMS on Tik Tok yesterday is like you're wrong we're getting in like the Pack 12 level of intoxication over this story we're getting in it's an auto bid it's not an auto bid one G5 and the proof will be in the pudding right and again I I just put up the the likely bracket and I I ask you here okay do do the math on this bracket right here how do you get NIU and Boise State in I don't know either I don't know because I also then go back to I also go back to the top 25 look at the 12 best teams go down to number 12 NIU or Utah okay well let's assume let's assume that somehow someway yeah Oak state is is who James and every other Oak State fan in here says they are Oak State wins the the big 12 championship and and they beat Utah who's ranked in the top 12 Northern Illinois or Utah uh I'm going to say Utah you're getting the the ACC already has what if what if Florida State or Clemson or Georgia Tech somehow wins the ACC Championship and Miami is ranked in the top 12 Miami or a second or a second G5 team you know the answer bro it's Miami or it's going to be depth in the Big 10 or the SEC because just like the G5 I don't think the Big 12 unless it's an overwhelming case right like I think this is a huge weekend for for K State they had better beat wholesale ass against Arizona and the fighting faitas right you look at Utah how about this cam Rising story yesterday how about this this cam Rising story yesterday coach Prime which is amazing to me um that Dion Sanders got duped and I I immediately I think Jake and I talked about this yesterday on the show there was a fake tweet going around that cam Rising has tetanus and the infections worsened and he's out for the year and Dean Sanders tweets prayers to cam rising and then somehow figured out that it was a troll that was trolling Utah because cam Rising doesn't have staff there's not a massive infection Cam rising's being held out because he's got a gash on his hand he's injured a finger on that cheap shot against Baylor and yet you hyenas on Twitter just ran with it ran with it oh poor cam Rising oh Cam Rising 76 years old and he's going to apply for an eighth year of Eligibility and y'all just retweeted it and retweeted it and then when it turned out to be a troll oh I knew it I knew it wasn't true I was just having some fun you weren't because we all love the Doom and Gloom of Cam rising in Utah and it's amazing to me it's amazing to me how many people root against cam rising and I I've never understood it I've never understood it in any way shape or form I I've never understood it I want to I don't understand it