Each July every conference hosts media days that begin with the respective commissioner’s giving an update on their conference followed by media having access to interview each school’s head coach and stars players.
With the movement of several marquee schools announcing their intentions to move conferences, each commissioner’s speech received extra media attention.
For the Valero Alamo Bowl, it’s important to note our current deals with Big 12 and Pac-12 go through the 2025 season to provide the #1 teams from each conference after the College Football Playoff selections. The first years with these selection rights delivered the Valero Alamo Bowl a Top 15 matchup, while last year had #16 Oklahoma beat #14 Oregon 47-32.
So how will realignment as we know it today affect our matchup?
Big 12 and Pac-12 changes by year:
- 2022: Same options from both conferences so our matchup options will be the same as the last nine years.
- 2023: Same options from the Pac-12. The Big 12 will have current lineup plus these four new teams joining the conference: BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston
- 2024: Pac-12 will have two less schools with announced move of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten, while the Big 12 will have 14 schools
- 2025: Pac-12 will be the same as 2024. Big 12 will lose Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC.
Could this change?
Yes, the only thing we know for sure is July 2022 could set the all-time record number of clicks for college football stories. Here are some recent ones that could be impactful for our matchup.
SI: The Big 12’s New Commissioner Knows the Score
ESPN: Big 12 and Pac-12 aren’t partnering
ESPN: Inside the stunning USC-UCLA move to the Big Ten
FanNation: University of California regents to discuss litigation amid UCLA move
The Pac-12 Media Day is the last of the major conference and will be held Friday, July 29 in Los Angeles. Another round of articles should be headed your way to read before the focus shifts to on-the-field action less than a month later.