"It’s in the best interest of more money" - Outgoing Pac-12 member UCLA's coach says conference realignment not best for student-athletes 

With the conference realignment still in play, schools continue to transfer from the Pac-12 to other conferences. There have been quite a few teams that have made the move to the Big 10, including Oregon and Washington and the UCLA Bruins.

In a recent interview with USA Today, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said the realignments were all about money and did not have the best interests of the students in mind.

Gonzaga v UCLA

"None of it is in the best interest of student-athletes, no matter what anybody says. It's in the best interest of more money to cover the bills. That's it," said Cronin.

Cronin added that schools might have to compensate the athletes in the future, which would make the current realignment moves of no real use.

"This all happened because of money, that's just a reality. It's not all because of football. Where's this going to be in five years when whenever the ruling comes down, you got to pay the revenue players? Then where's that money coming from? We've already exhausted the media right money," added Mick.

With the Bruins moving to the Big 10, the Pac-12 is now dangerously scarce. The current landscape suggests the possibility of either a merger or even dissolution of the conference.

What's next for the Pac-12?

Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, and Washington State are the only remaining teams in the conference. That figure is set to decrease, as Oregon and Washington recently finalized a deal to join the Big 10 following the 2023-24 season.

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Conference Realignment Football

By the looks of it, Stanford, which has billions of dollars of endowment, will be looking for a power five move. On the bright side, there have been talks of Pac-12 expansion, with around 11 teams likely to join the conference in the future. It will be interesting to see what will be left of Pac-12 following the upcoming season.

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