Pac-12 is falling deeper into a pit of irrelevance
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren had a phone conversation with President Trump on Monday about the conference playing football in 2020. The Pac-12 got no such call.
Editors Note: This is not a political column and does not express a political opinion.
Monday afternoon, conference commissioner Kevin Warren took a call from President Donald Trump. The Prez is interested in the Big Ten Conference playing football in 2020. The president took to Twitter to tell fans that the return of their college football season was imminent. Apparently, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott isn’t on the call list.
Big Ten Uproar
The Big Ten was the first Power 5 conference to cancel football for 2020 and play in the spring. Shortly after, the Pac-12 not only followed suit but went a step further. They postponed all sports through the end of the year.
Athletic directors, coaches, and players and players from Big Ten Schools tried to rally against a postponement. They begged their university presidents not to cancel the season before the August 10 vote. Once the presidents decided on a spring season, fans of conference teams were visibly and vocally upset. Nebraska players were so angry by the decision they took the Big Ten to court.
Since then, there have been reports about the Big Ten playing football before the new year. First, it was a return on Thanksgiving weekend. Now the hot rumor is that if the conference can agree on a set of uniform testing protocols, a mid-October return is possible. Big Ten teams would then be eligible to play for the national championship.
Pac-12 Squeek
Any noise from the Pac-12 about an earlier return is drowned out by chirping crickets. By continuing to plan for spring football, the conference solidifies its position as an outsider in major college sports. All the while, they fall behind the rest of the Power 5 in stature and as a byproduct recruiting.
If POTUS thinks that courting Midwest voters is important by appealing to Big Ten football fans, his snub of the Pac-12 speaks volumes. Even if the president doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hades of winning California, Oregon, and Washington, there are still voters in other Pac-12 states. According to Real Clear Politics, Nevada (not a Pac-12 state, but in the region) and Arizona are tossups. What about voters in Colorado and Utah?
The lack of concern for Pac-12 football is disappointing but not surprising. It shows just how far the conference has fallen under the leadership of Larry Scott. Because of his poor leadership, the Power 5 is turning into the Important 4 and Irrelevant 1.
Related: Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott may be on the way out
Do you think the Pac-12 is becoming more irrelevant? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.