One ESPN analyst calls for the 'inevitable' in the college football expansion realm

College football could change forever in the coming days

The Pac-12 was founded in 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference and has taken many forms with a handful of different teams throughout the years.

However, over the past year the conference has suffered major losses and is viewed by many as being on life-support. In July of 2022, USC and UCLA shook up the college sports world when they announced they'd be joining the Big Ten. A move that stunned the Pac-12, and led to them having to figure out what their plan for their media rights would be moving forward.

A process that only became more difficult after the Big 12 was able to expand and secure a media rights deal before the Pac-12 could even blink. While this also was less than ideal, it wasn't until July of 2023 as of Wednesday that the question of the Pac-12's future existence has been as prevalent as it is. This of course stems from the departure of Colorado to the Big 12 with the belief that more programs are to follow.

The Colorado move has led to many truly questioning what the Pac-12's future could be, or if the word future even applies to them anymore. With the conference set to meet on Thursday to discuss further expansion, one ESPN analyst believes it is too late for the conference. Matt Barrie who is most commonly known for being a host of SportsCenter took to Twitter to offer up what direction he thinks college football expansion will end up going, going as far as calling it "inevitable". 

Here are the solutions by Barrie that would ultimately put an end to the conference and this wave of expansion. 

Big 12 bound

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Barrie believes that Colorado shouldn't be the lone Pac-12 program heading to the Big 12, which according to reports is likely to happen. He had the four corner schools all making the jump with the Buffs, which many view Arizona as a program with the best odds to join the Big 12. 

1. Utah
2. Arizona 
3. Arizona State

Big Ten Bound

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

While reports have shown little to no interest by the Big Ten to scoop up more teams, Barrie believes that the conference should add four programs from the Pac-12. This would make travel easier for USC and UCLA, while also giving them even more prominent markets to add to their repertoire.

1. Oregon
2. Washington 
3. Stanford
4. Cal 

Best of Luck

Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

If you have been keeping score, there are two current Pac-12 teams that have been unaccounted for in this scenario. That is because at least according to Barrie's tweet, there is no spot for these final two programs. This would be horrendous news for these two programs, who may end up dropping to the Group of Five or worse.

1. Oregon State 
2. Washington State