The Pac-12 may be ending as we know it after the 2023 season, but it is doing a good job of trying to go out on top.
Defections from USC, UCLA, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah all left the Pac-12 on life support over the past month. However, if you were to treat the imminent death of the conference as a problem for tomorrow, then the more pertinent outlook for the Pac-12 in the 2023 season alone is incredibly encouraging.
USC, Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Oregon State are all consensus top-25 teams going into the year, and other schools like UCLA, Washington State, and Arizona are all hovering around the basket as well.
When looking at overall rankings for the Power 5 conferences in college football, the Pac-12 at least has a good argument to be near the top of the pack.
According to CBS Sports’ conference power rankings, Barrett Salee has the Pac-12 in the No. 2 spot.
This might come as a shock to people on the East Coast, but the Pac-12 is loaded and may be the most entertaining league to watch in 2023. The conference boasts at least four teams that have a legitimate shot at making the CFP: No. 6 USC, No. 10 Washington, No. 14 Utah and No. 15 Oregon. Can any of them actually win it? Probably not. But the conference’s depth is as strong as it has been in more than a decade. When you throw in No. 18 Oregon State and a well-coached UCLA squad, “Pac-12 After Dark” is going to be must-see TV in 2023.
The conference has only had two teams make it into the College Football Playoff before, with Oregon and Washington standing alone. There seems to be a good chance that the winner of the conference in 2023 will have a good claim for a playoff spot, though.
It’s unfortunate that the Pac-12 will cease to exist as we know it following this year, but at least it’s going out with a bang.
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