Adding Texas would elevate any conference.
Photo by Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

The first games have yet to be played in the Pac-12, the supersized Big Ten and the minimized Big 12, yet the winds of conference realignment are blowing again.

If Texas, Oklahoma and friends agree to the form the Pac-16 it would be the best move commissioner Larry Scott could make.

That is, unless you are an Arizona Wildcat or ASU Sun Devil.

It only took one year but talk of big-time conference expansion (or, more specifically, Big 12 disintegration) is back with news of Texas A&M bolting for the SEC. No matter what the official status is, the word on the cattle trail is still yes, just not yet.

It makes absolute sense for Scott to make a second run at adding the Longhorns, Sooners and two other Big 12 schools. As a football conference the Pac-16 would have perfect symmetry with USC and Oregon as the football anchors in the West and Texas/Oklahoma as the beasts of the East. Those programs have appeared in six of the last eight BCS championship games.

(Yes, SEC fans, the Pac-16 would only have one non-vacated win in those six appearances. Y’all are pretty good. But with Ohio State in disarray you could be looking at an SEC/Pac-16 championship matchup for years to come.)

The greatness of the Pac-16 would extend to all sports. The Pac-12 already has the top three schools in terms of total Division I national championships and taking four more institutions from the Big 12 would make it the top four and five of the top eight.

And the money? Holy steer. If the current Pac-12 is worth $3 billion in TV dollars, how much is it worth to have a conference footprint that includes the two most populated states in the nation (by a wide margin)?

Victories! Prestige! Insane riches! The Pac-16 would be the greatest thing ever to hit college sports! Unless you root for Arizona or Arizona State.

There was heated debate when the Pac-10 had to decide how to split into two divisions. Structuring a 16-team league would take three seconds. The original Pac-8 would gleefully reunite in the Pac-16 West and the East would be made up of the New Guys, the Still Pretty New Guys and the Only Been Around for 33 Years New Guys.

In football you would play the other seven members of your division and just two teams in the other division. If means the Wildcats would host each West division team only once every eight years. That’s not a rival; it’s a non-conference game.

This has nothing to do with avoiding competition. The UA has done just fine avoiding football championships where it is. Looking up at Texas schools instead of California schools isn’t going to change anything. But Arizona wants to be associated with the West. Why do you think the state sits in the Pacific Time Zone most of the year?

In the late 1970s UA president John Schaefer wasn’t talking with the Big 8 or Southwest Conference. He wanted his school in the Pac-10, aligned with the West Coast. That’s where a large portion of Arizona’s out-of-state students come from. That’s where the alumni live.

Sadly, it may not be where the future lies, at least athletically. Larry Scott has a Manifest Destiny air about him. He’s not going to be satisfied until his conference extends (clap-clap-clap-clap) deep in the heart of Texas.

So, Wildcats and Sun Devils, enjoy the Pac-12 South while it lasts. If you like your western rivalries root for the Big 12 to add Houston or SMU instead of standing pat. Root for Texas to go independent.

Or root for the Pac-20.

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The worst part about the re-expansion rumors is they’re keeping us from focusing entirely on the start of a monumental season for the premier conference in the West. The start of divisional play is causing significant changes to how football is played in this league:

Bye-bye, bye.
With the advent of the Pac-12 Championship Game the regular season ends Thanksgiving weekend for everyone, which means going back to only one bye week per season. Will injuries be a bigger factor down the home stretch? For Colorado the ninth conference game combined with a trip to Hawai’i eliminated byes altogether. The Buffalo training staff is going to go through a lot of ice packs during 13 straight weeks of football.

You can’t lose if you don’t play.
The unbalanced schedule means who you don’t play is just as important as who you play. Utah misses Oregon and Stanford this year. Arizona skips Washington State and Cal. If the Utes finish exactly two games ahead of the Cats in the standings, this is probably why.

Rivalries won’t smell as sweet.
It was a common sight. If a team went into its rivalry game needing a win to clinch the conference crown its fans brought roses to the game. Win and you wave them in the face of your opponent, lose and the sidewalks get covered with trampled petals. The ultimate was two years ago when Oregon played OSU in a winner-take-all Civil War and everyone brought roses. No more. With divisional play you can no longer clinch the Rose Bowl against your fiercest rival. Carrying soda cans won’t have the same effect.

Things will be different in the Pac-12 but the changes are worth it. The South division loves being grouped with the L.A. schools and the Pac-12 North dates back to 1919. What’s not to like?

Fans from the Grand Canyon State hope it’s worth liking for a long, long time.

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Scott Terrell wants to enjoy this new ride for a while before trading it in. Buckle up on Twitter and Facebook.

You had to see it to believe what Derrick Williams did without seeing it.
Photo Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

One-thousand-one…one-thousand-two…one-thousand-three…one-thousand-four…one-thousand–

That’s how quickly things can change in March.

One call, one hero, one (or two) no-calls, and one ticket to the Sweet 16 for the Arizona Wildcats.

How do you top a thrilling victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?

You do it again.

How great is this tournament? The Cats were one play – Derrick Williams’ buzzer-beater-beater – from going home in the opening round. Now they have the geographical advantage against 1-seed Duke.

It was a game for the other guys. Williams missed 10 shots. MoMo Jones missed all of his. Kevin Parrom missed time with an injury. So Jordin Mayes and Brendon Lavender took a bunch of 3-pointers and didn’t miss at all.

This is why you give minutes to 10 guys all year. It’s why you develop Mayes and you don’t give up on Lavender. This is why you let Kyryl Natyazhko learn from his mistakes on the court.

The terminology of the expanded tournament has been confusing. Louisville lost in the First Round last year but made it to the Second Round this year even though the Cardinals still didn’t win any games. I nominate new names like the Sexy 64 and the Thunderous 32.

But there’s no debating the Sweet 16.

It was another going-away present for senior Jamelle Horne in a season that just won’t go away. Horne endured three coaches in four years (and not playing for the guy who recruited him) but he’ll leave with two trips into the tournament’s second weekend.

And he’ll get to play Duke.

I honestly didn’t even consider the possibility of the Cats playing Mike “Shushefskee” and the Blue Devils because I remember getting worked up for nothing in ‘04 and ‘09. There’s a whole lot to get worked up about now.

From the “If it ain’t broke” file, here’s how the end of the Texas game went down:

We pick things up with a minute and a half left in the game. The score is tied at 67.

1:24 – Solomon Hill is called for traveling. This is not the run-before-you-dribble kind. It was more of the jab-step-jab-step-drag-your-pivot-foot variety.

1:07 – J’Covan Brown hits a jumper in the lane. He scored Texas’ final 11 points. The Wildcats are very happy it wasn’t the final 13. 69-67, Longhorns.

0:27.0 – Hill spins into the lane but gets his shot blocked. Natyazhko ends up with the rebound and kicks it out to Williams for an open 3. No good. Kyryl taps the rebound again and Hill pulls it down. Solomon drives toward the hoop and one official calls a Texas foul while the other says Sean Miller called timeout. The timeout stands. Deep breath…exhale.

0:14.5 – The Cats run pick-and-roll with Kyle Fogg and Williams (foreshadowing). Williams dribbles behind his back and attempts to go 1-on-3. His right-handed shot ends up going to the left of the entire backboard. No call. Ballgame…one would think.

(Everything about the ill-fated Texas timeout has already been said but here are the details: It was called by Jordan Hamilton, the Longhorns’ leading scorer and a 78% free throw shooter. I have no idea either.)

Still 0:14.5 – The 5-Second Call. Or, if you’re a Texas fan, The 4-and-a-Half-Second Call. Watching the replay, Tex is right. It wasn’t a full five seconds. Somewhere Pitt fans are joining in the outrage.

And 1. Make that And 16.
Photo Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

0:9.6 – Pick-and-roll with Fogg and Williams again. Texas doubles Fogg (don’t get beat by a 3) but Kyle threads a bounce pass to Williams. Hamilton tries to take a change from the side. Derrick falls forward after the contact, flips the ball over his head and it perfectly hits the square on the backboard and falls through the hoop. Wildcat Universe rejoices.

After a long delay to confirm the time remaining, Derrick Williams steps to the line and shoots, not like a boy who has missed 5-of-10 free throw attempts in the 2nd half, but like a man. Nay, more than a man; a legend.

0:00.0 – No call on the shot, no call on the rebound. MoMo is kissing the camera, Kyryl is flashing his longhorns, and Duke is waiting.

How do you top two thrilling victories in the NCAA tournament?

Go for three.

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The Pac-10 got its heart broken.

The western conference made a play for the prettiest girl in town. There was a lot of flirting and she seemed really interested but at the end of the day she went back to her old boyfriend (who just lost his job and was accused of cheating on her).

The Texas Longhorns are staying in the Big 12 and the remaining ten schools have re-pledged their allegiance. The Pac-10 will put on its tough-guy face and say it never really cared about Texas and was just using her anyway.

After the he said/she said stuff dies down the Pac-10 will move on. Here’s a look at what could be next:

Stay at 11
Even though it was hoped the Colorado move would bring about the demise of the Big 12, the Buffaloes are here to stay. Is the Pac-11 a viable option?

The Big Ten turned it up to 11 when it added Penn State in 1990 and what did it get them? Two decades of unbalanced schedules where who you didn’t play was more important than who you played. It’s not surprising that the conference just added Nebraska with plans to split into divisions and play a football championship game.

Go to 12
When it comes to sports even numbers are better than odd so logic says the Pac-11 needs another team. The Big 12 Minus 2 just shot you down. The Big Ten Plus Two is growing instead of shrinking. The SEC, ACC and Big East are too far away. That leaves teams from the Mountain West and WAC.

The best WAC football program just joined the MWC. Two of the top three football teams in the Mountain West are religious schools that don’t appeal the Pac-10 powers that be.

The University of Utah was rumored to be the choice at the beginning of the year and it is now the only name being mentioned.

Go beyond 12
The Pac-10 could add Utah and decide not to stop there, but the remaining schools in this half of the country don’t bring a lot of athletic clout. UNLV? San Diego State? The only point of having a super conference is to combine super teams and that dream died when Texas stayed home.

No option is going to look as good (or as lucrative) as adding the Longhorns and half the Big 12. To add insult to the rejection is the fact that the shrunken Big 12 now has the potential for the perfect college sports structure.

A nine-game round-robin football schedule with no need for a championships game. An 18-game home-and-home basketball schedule. Sound familiar?

I was in favor of taking a shot at the Texan riches. But it’s too bad the Pac-10 no longer has the option of remaining a ten-team league. Now that the symmetry is gone for good the best plan is to add Utah and be done with it.

For now. Stopping at 12 gives you the chance to keep your eye on what happens in the Lone Star State over the next few years.

You never know who will get their heart broken next.

The Pac-10 is no more.

Right this moment it’s the Pac-11, or – if you’re so inclined – Paco Once.

But there will be a 12th team. The only question is if four more teams join on top of that.

After three decades of standing still the Pac-10 has started moving at breakneck speed. In a December conference commissioner Larry Scott said, “We’re hard-pressed to really see how you improve upon the structure of the Pac-10 as it is with five sets of natural rivals in four states.”

In February Scott said, “We’re looking at (expansion) very seriously.” But talks weren’t supposed to heat up for six to 12 months.

Larry Scott: Sports commissioner or evil genius?

On June 6 the Pac-10 gave Scott “the authority to pursue any possible expansion, while not committing the conference to adding any more schools.” Four days later Colorado was officially a member and the rumors of a 16-school super conference were swirling in full force.

How did we get here? And do we want to go where we’re apparently heading? Let’s break it down.

Why the Stephen F. Austin do we need 16 teams?

Texas, Texas, Texas. UT is the biggest fish, the golden goose and the sacred cow. When mere mortals started discussing Pac-10 expansion they tossed around the pie-in-the-sky dream of adding Texas and Texas A&M. But the idea was quickly dismissed because Texas would never leave its rivalry with Oklahoma, right?

You can picture Larry Scott in his underground lair standing over a map that looks something like this and thinking, “Texas won’t leave Oklahoma or A&M. The regents won’t allow for the split of OU/OSU and UT/A&M/Tech. I guess my only option is to…TAKE THEM ALL!”

Why announce the addition of Colorado before you know if Texas is in?

Texas wanted the Big 12 to stay together. If you already have the biggest house on the block and your neighbors mow your lawn and pick up after your dogs, why would you move?

The only way you get Texas is if the Big 12 falls apart. Nebraska leaving wasn’t going to be enough. Texas could just decree that TCU or SMU be invited and Bevo would go back to grazing on million dollar bills.

There’s no way any other school in the Texas/Oklahoma bloc would abandon Mama Tejas. So if you’re the Pac-10 you target the one school you’re interested in that isn’t part of the Big 12 South and you go past rumor to official. The goal is to force Texas into finding a new conference when you know your conference is the Longhorns’ best option.

Won’t it be really embarrassing if we go through all this Pac-16 speculation and just end up with Colorado and Utah?

From a national perspective, yes. Larry Scott and the Pac-10 would be viewed as having failed if the Texas merger doesn’t happen. The Big Ten Plus Two will brag that it got the school it wanted in Nebraska, and the Big 12 Minus Two will boast about how it stonewalled the Pac-10 invasion and protected Long Star/Sooner State pride.

But Larry Scott won’t be a failure even if Texas stays put. He went after the biggest prize. He swung for the fences. He could have quietly added Colorado and Utah weeks ago and no one east of Boulder would have cared. No matter what happens Scott has established that he is a man of action and his league isn’t going to stand on the sidelines any longer.

Scott’s mission when he took this job was to make more money for the Pac-10. A lot more. To do this he had two primary objectives: prepare for the next TV deal and improve the bowl tie-ins. When he looked to add a bowl did he go after the Insight or the Humanitarian? No, he went after – and landed – the Alamo Bowl and its $3 million payout.

Now he’s going after the entire Alamo state.

Regardless of the expansion outcome Larry Scott has proven he’s the person the Pac-10 needs to keep pace in the 2010s. He went from The Women’s Tennis Guy to The Guy Who Tried to Conquer the Big 12.

Who do we want to win?

Until there’s a big burnt orange press conference nothing is a done deal. Texas has options. Which option is best for the Arizona schools?

If you’re one of the original Pac-8 universities you desperately want Texas and Friends. You’re not going to lose any of your long-standing rivals and the Longhorn money will rain on you for years to come.

But what about the two youngest siblings in the Pac-10, those crazy kids in the state that spends half its time in the Mountain Time Zone?

For the fans of Arizona and Arizona State it comes down to your personal priorities. The money angle can’t be denied. A Pacific-16 conference would generate an insane amount of revenue. As in forget-the-SEC-even-the-federal-government-is-jealous revenue.

If you can get past the dollars (and dollars and dollars) and cents it comes down to whether you want to be in the biggest, baddest athletic conference in the nation (even if it means potentially getting crushed in football) or do you want to maintain close ties with the West Coast?

If you like seeing the Cats and Devils make annual trips to L.A., the Bay and the Pacific Northwest, you want Texas to stay put. Things would change in a 12-team Pac with two divisions but it wouldn’t be earth-shattering.

The earth will shatter if five more schools from the Big 12 come on board. Every logical division or pod puts the Arizona schools closer to the new Texas/Oklahoma schools and further from the California schools. There’s nothing wrong with embracing that but there’s nothing wrong with being opposed to it either.

One thing’s for sure, it won’t be Paco Once for long.