The college football world has all but forgotten about the Pac-12 as a College Football Playoff contender.
As a new commissioner looks to spice up the conference, a change in the championship game rules may provide a path for a return to the playoff, as the conference has been absent since 2016.
The conference's TV network has floundered in gathering eyeballs, but that hasn't stopped an onslaught of headlines throughout the offseason.
USC made the biggest splash, offering Lincoln Riley the farm in a move that turned into an exodus for many players and personnel from Norman. The Trojans have collected the best offensive names in the transfer portal, making Pac-12 After Dark appointment viewing.
Mario Cristobal assembled a number of skilled trench players that positioned Oregon to beat Ohio State last season, but the head coach has returned to Miami. The Ducks elected to take a defensive coordinator fresh off a National Championship – Georgia's Dan Lanning – as the new head coach.
Meanwhile, the North and South Divisions are no more, as the conference elected to take the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage to the championship game in Las Vegas. This rule was first questioned in a pandemic-shortened 2020, when Colorado would've met USC for the Pac-12 crown.
Adopting the Big 12 format of sending the two winningest teams places importance on strength of schedule. There may be teams that will benefit from an easier path without traveling to Rice-Eccles or Autzen Stadium.