Striking how few OOC P5 games the PAC has scheduled. Surely, if they're confident they can compete, the conference and conference members would schedule marquee OOC matchups, right? And they'd especially do that as they're looking for a new media rights deal, no?

It's looking like the PAC and its schools know they suck and are wanting to milk the past-perception cow till she's dry, to ride the gravy train of lingering legacy legitimacy until everyone sees those posers' attempts for what they are.

Remember, the two-time PAC12 champions haven't won an OOC P5 game since 2019, and are 1-5 against FBS teams outside the conference in that span. Remember independent BYU was 5-0 against them. Remember the biggest deal for the PAC12 champions was going to their CONTRACTED bowl game. Doesn't matter that they were embarrassed this year by the 3rd place team from another conference, they continue to give themselves Participation Awards in the form of rose emojis and merch as though they were just lucky to get into their own CONTRACTED bowl game.

And then remember 2020 when the PAC decided not to play any OOC games at all? Most of the country, including BYU who shared the same geography, figured out how to make it happen. They said they "believed in science" (as though no other universities did), and that was the reason for their fear of playing but it sure seems to be a convenient excuse for cancelling all OOC games.

There was no actual facts supporting the PAC teams being ranked this year, so they were clearly riding on legacy perception. But the market isn't dumb. It's composed of real people who have a real interest in making sure their money is spent on real value. So it will catch up with them.

And perhaps it already has. If the PAC's desired perception of its worth was near what the market values, a deal wouldn't be far apart. The only reason negotiations like this take so long is the partners are so far apart - the PAC perhaps wanting to continue to milk/bilk the market based on perception and the market saying it just doesn't see it anymore. When you're scared to play OOC P5 opponents and lose when you do, you produce a terrible media product nobody wants to watch. Especially when you're producing political lectures at the same time.

None of us really "liked" independence but we can clearly see it was much better than being tethered to this poser conference. It can twist in the wind and take the once gloating yewts with it.