A Grip on Sports: It won’t last but for the past few years the top of the NFL Draft and college football’s most-famous award have been dominated by Pac-12 alums

A GRIP ON SPORTS • At least once a week some piece of news hits like a pair of cement shoes. And I drown in the regret of what was lost when the Pac-12 as formally constituted dissolved into the mist. It happened again last night.

•••••••

• I must preface what’s about to follow with one piece of information. I didn’t spend one second of time watching the NFL Draft’s first round.

With the Seahawks picking last – this seems like a good time to remind everyone they won the Super Bowl – and the seemingly foregone conclusion John Schneider would trade the pick for others down the road, it seemed like a time waster.

At my age, wasting time doesn’t seems like a smart decision.

Anyhow, everything that follows comes from scouring the Web for nuggets like a gold-hungry miner in 1850 California. Or a youngster at McDonald’s celebrating their fifth birthday. Turns out, I’m rich. And my belly’s full.

Though I’m also a bit verklempt.

That Yiddish word is perfect for how I feel about a huge part of my sports fandom having disappeared before I could even blurt out “(bad word) Larry Scott” or “(really bad word) USC.”

OK, the last one did escape my lips once or twice, even before the Trojans’ enticed their sucker of an L.A. neighbor to join them in their nefarious plan to destroy a conference with a more than hundred-year history. And what did that backroom deal gain them? An uptick in media revenue, millions of frequent flier miles and a chance to be run out of the gym once or twice a year by Michigan.

Anyhow, what we all lost was quite possible the most-star studded football conference in America. Not in the trenches, where winning happens, but in the skill positions, where the excitement and awards happen.

Let’s take a trip back to the 2023 football season, shall we? The final one for the as-we-knew-it Pac-12.

Playing in the conference that was about to be cannibalized were these players, a list I discovered courtesy of the website cfbkings.com:

• USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman winner;

• Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Washington quarterback Michael Penix, both Heisman finalists in 2023, an award won by LSU’s Jayden Daniel – the same Daniels who played his first two seasons at Arizona State;

• Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, the 2024 Heisman winner, and Washington State quarterback Cam Ward, a Heisman finalist that year;

• California quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman winner.

Why did that come up after Thursday night’s first round of the draft? Simple.

Williams was the No. 1 pick in 2024, Ward in 2025, Mendoza in 2026. Plus Hunter went No. 2 in 2025 and former Stanford edge David Bailey, also playing in the Pac-12 in 2023, was the second selection last night.

All of these players in one conference? And that conference fell apart?

The malfeasance at the top with Scott and George Kliavkoff and the university CEOs has to be unmatched in college athletics’ history. The subterfuge from USC and UCLA as well. The run-for-the-plains silliness of Colorado. The lack of courage from Oregon and Washington. The get-us-out-of-here cowardice of Stanford and Cal. Add it all up and every fan of the conference was denied the euphoria that comes with knowing that your favorite school played a role in those players’ success. That your school was part of a collective that may not win the ultimate prize but was made up of stars who earned the individual accolades.

The Pac-12 remerges from its two-year cocoon July 1. Outside of Corvallis and Pullman, the cities and schools are different. The ability to attract such talent will be diminished. The chance of having a group like the seven players mentioned above playing in the conference at the same time more than likely gone.

And for what? UCLA, a school that should have went public the moment USC broached the idea of teaming up and heading to the Midwest, is still struggling financially, even with the Big Ten’s deep pockets. USC has disappeared into the mediocre middle of that conference, even as Indiana of all people has developed a national title-winning football program. Washington hasn’t sniffed the top rung in the major Big Ten sports. Oregon, with financial advantages developed as a Pac-12 member, has won a conference football title but is dealing with basketball issues. Colorado and Utah are Big 12 also-rans in football and basketball. Arizona State has won a conference football title but struggles in hoops. Arizona, who was a basketball national power in the Pac-12, continues to play that role but is not a standout on the football field. Cal and Stanford? The ACC and its long-distance travel are sapping hopes of success.

And, though it sadly doesn’t matter to anyone but them, if there were a poll taken of the athletes at those schools who don’t play football or basketball, the percentage of those who are supportive of the far-flung conference membership might be lower than Pac-12 fans’ favorable opinion of Scott. And that’s hard to fathom.

If the Pac-12 had stayed together – a huge if – would Mendoza and Bailey put on hats from Cal and Stanford, respectively, Thursday? It’s impossible to know, especially considering the major changes hitting college athletics the past two years. But playing in the conference didn’t kill Williams or any of the others’ draft potential.

All that has been killed is a conference whose legacy some of us have known, supported and been proud of for decades.

Now let’s all get back to wondering who the Hawks will take with the 64th pick.

•••

WSU: The Cougars will wave Ol’ Crimson as a Pac-12 school this fall, as has been done for years beyond our memory. And they’ll do it against one old friend and six newcomers. With a new coach, Kirby Moore, who oversaw the last practice of his first spring in Pullman, on Thursday. Greg Woods was there and has this coverage. He also looks ahead to Saturday’s Crimson and Gray game. … The men’s basketball roster rebuild added another component yesterday with UNLV forward Ladji Dembele announcing his decision on social media. Greg has that covered as well. … Our usual link to Theo Lawson’s Pac-12 transfer portal tracker belongs here today. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner’s column in the S-R today once again explains the inner workings of something that doesn’t work: college football’s leadership. … In his column from Thursday, John Canzano explains something that has worked for centuries: teachers and the pupils they impact. Canzano’s subject is Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his second grade teacher. The overall point is universal. Canzano’s column is the favorite thing I read the past 24 hours. … Oregon State has its spring game Saturday. … Spring practice No. 11 is done for Washington and there is coverage to pass along. … Oregon had two players picked in the first round last night. The Ducks are producing a lot of NFL guys and more might be on the way. … Utah had two selected as well, for the first time ever. … Guess what? Two Arizona State players heard their name Thursday too. … UCLA’s defense has been outpacing the offense all spring. … USC’s Makai Lemon was picked by the Eagles after a strange series of events. … Arizona will decide in the fall who will be the backup quarterback. … Boise State’s players received Mountain West championship rings. For the final time. … San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson was drafted last night. … In basketball news, Oregon State continues to announce the official additions to their men’s roster. … Colorado’s roster is filling up. … USC may have finally found the right guy for the middle in the transfer portal.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, basketball players finding homes can come from every level. Montana State’s men added a player from NAIA Carroll College. … Idaho State has attracted players from all over. … So has Weber State. … Two years at Nevada changed a new Montana State assistant football coach’s approach.

Whitworth: Every time John Blanchette has a story in the S-R these days, I have to stop and read the entire piece. No matter the subject. That his subject is college track today makes it even more special, as John has been one of the nation’s best in covering the sport over decades. The deeper subject is how the Pirates cultivate two-sport athletes and the latest duo to personify that best.

Preps: Ridgeline’s Quincy Coder isn’t just one of the GSL’s best fastpitch hitters. She also an outstanding student who is riding her academic accomplishments to the college of her choice. Madison McCord has more in this story. … Dave Nichols has a roundup of Thursday’s action in fastpitch, baseball and boys soccer.

Indians: Spokane has lost five consecutive games following last night’s 11-3 defeat in Everett.

Reign: There is a new star in Seattle and she’s indispensable.

Seahawks: We mentioned the Hawks and the draft above. In passing. In reality, other teams, especially the 49ers, continually passing on picks and trading down meant Schneider couldn’t. So he took Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the 32nd pick. A college backup soon to be the Hawks’ starter? Could be. … If Schneider has earned anything in his two Super Bowl-winning tenure in Seattle, it’s trust. … The guy who forced Price to come off the bench? Jeremiyah Love. His selection by the Cardinals in the third spot was one of the two most-criticized first-round choices. The other? The Rams taking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at 13. Even L.A. coach Sean McVay didn’t seem happy with it. … Who might be available for Seattle as the draft continues tonight and tomorrow?

World Cup: FIFA’s decision to base Egypt’s national team in Spokane is just another indication of how far the city has risen in the nation’s soccer hierarchy. Mitchell Roland has more in this story.  

Mariners: We also mentioned Logan Gilbert’s weird experience Wednesday. Ryan Divish delved into it a bit deeper. … Luke Raley is hitting the ball well this season. Tim Booth tells us he’s got a name to drop that’s been a big help. Edgar Martinez. … Tajuan Walker is looking for somewhere to pitch after being released by the Phillies.

Storm: The team’s top draft pick this season will not be in the lineup for Seattle’s first preseason game. There are a few reasons for that.

•••       

• There are smart people associated with our nation’s college and universities. Even those who were part of the end of the legacy Pac-12. But boy did they all, almost to a person, make a whole bunch of indefensible decisions. And not-so-bright ones too. IQ and degrees and resumes don’t translate into infallibility, though sometimes those with them wrongfully assume they do. … By the way, if you are wondering why I did not do my usual TV column on this Friday, I did. The NFL draft dominates, even with NBA and NHL playoffs. It is just weird but that is the way it is. Until later …