Several format options exist for a bicoastal conference that might save Cal and the remaining Pac-12 teams
www.si.com
I like this line up.
West Division
Cal
Stanford
Oregon
Washington
Arizona
Arizona State
Washington State
Oregon State
Mid East Division
Utah
Colorado
Louisville
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Boston College
Virginia
Virginia Tech
South East Division
Clemson
Duke
Georgia Tech
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Wake Forest
Miami
Florida State
That would be 1 hell of a awesome new super conference merger. That conference would have the Rosebowl, 1,2,3 auto bids to the playoffs, 1,2,3 at large bids to the play offs, and would have awesome, extremely lucrative, about 65 million per team ESPN media deal.
And then that new conference merger would get the Following 10 teams from Big 12:
1. Ok St.
2. TCU
3. Baylor.
4. BYU.
5. Kansas.
6. KSU
7. Texas Tech.
8. Houston.
9. Cincinnati.
10. UCF
Would grab SDSU, BSU, UNLV, Airforce, Fresno St. from MWC.
And grab Gonzaga from WCC
That would make for a 40 team conference, with 4, 10 team divisions that would be pretty much equal to Big 10, but NOT the SEC.
Iowa St would probably be left out.
But if Gonzaga didn't join, Iowa St would probably get in Gonzaga's place.
No Pac 12 team would jeopardize that, wouldn't give up that possibility, wouldn't join the Big 12, have the Pac 12 die, before this new conference merger could happen.
I think is not just a possibility, but will eventually happen, and the only way to counter, rival what the Big 10, SEC is doing.
And no team would leave that for Big 10, SEC, because of the 65 million per team media deal, and because until 2036 the GRANT OF RIGHTS would stop any defections, because the GRANT OF RIGHTS says the get no money from ESPN deal, if they leave, and get no money from Big 10, SEC, if they join Big 10, and SEC. And they renew the GRANTS OF RIGHTS after 2036.