On Friday, news broke that the Colorado Buffaloes were leaving the Pac-12 Conference and returning to the Big 12 Conference. And prominent college football analyst Paul Finebaum seems to think this move, coupled with the departures of USC and UCLA, marks the effective demise of the Pac-12.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday morning, Finebaum offered a particularly bleak assessment of Pac-12’s future, telling host Mike Greenberg that the conference is essentially dead, as far as he’s concerned.
“You may as well administer the Pac-12’s last rites, Greeny. I mean, it’s over,” Finebaum said. “And I’m not just talking about this year, I’m talking about next year when they lose USC, when Deion [Sanders] goes to the Big 12. There’s really nothing left.”
https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN/status/1684928577056251905
Of course, there’s currently no indication that the Pac-12 plans to simply fold after the departures of Colorado, USC, and UCLA. But while Finebaum applauds the resilience to continue playing football, he believes the conference “no longer has any relevance” going forward, especially considering that other schools could follow their lead and leave the conference, as well.
“You can argue ‘Oh, there’s quality games.’ But this league no longer has any relevance on the national stage without USC and losing Colorado. And by the way, they may lose more,” Finebaum said. “They can continue playing football – good for them – but they will no longer be a Power Five conference in my opinion.”
We’ll have to see what the future holds for the Pac-12, but Finebaum sure isn’t optimistic.
[Get Up]
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