Big Ten interest in additional Pac-12 schools has reportedly cooled off

Despite the belief that the Big Ten might have interest in other Pac-12 schools the conference's focus is elsewhere

Just when schools such as Stanford, Cal, Oregon, and Washington thought that they had a chance to be Big Ten bound, the latest reports by CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd say otherwise. 

Dodd explained that the idea of paying those four schools the same as their other members just wasn't in the Big Ten's best interest at the moment, and that the conference is more focused on Notre Dame, who is viewed as the biggest catch of all. Despite the interest of the Big Ten and possibly other conferences, Notre Dame is believed to still be leaning towards staying as an independent according to Dodd.

While being second fiddle to Notre Dame hurts the ego a tad, nothing will frustrate fans of the Pac-12 more than the fact that could have easily poached any Big 12 school they wanted had USC's president Carol Folt not "sabotaged" the expansion. One Big 12 AD even went as far to tell CBS Sports:

"We all would have jumped"

Dodd did explain that Pac-12's saving grace when it comes to staying afloat is the fact that ESPN wouldn't have late-night football without them, as "Pac-12 after dark" has always been a popular phenomenon on Saturday nights. 

Regardless of what happens, previous commissioners and what could have been a maniacal game of chess by Folt came back to bite the Pac-12 in the you know what.