Pac-10 should accept fate, move on

As an avid football fan, I enjoy the “poor [enter opponent name here], poor [enter opponent name here]” chant at the end of a particularly good romping as much as the next guy (or gal). But before the college season starts, I’m already uttering the chant, but this time, I actually feel bad for the other team.

Poor Colorado. Poor Colorado. Poor Colorado, you’re getting screwed!

When it looked like the Big 12 was completely lost to the history books, Colorado quickly jumped at the opportunity to be a leader – and ensure they didn’t get left out – and joined the Pac-10 conference. Originally, the invite was issued to Colorado with the expectation that a number of other Big 12 schools would join. The Pac-10 was looking to expand with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech as well.

At the very last second, the Big 12 chancellor, desperate to keep his job, convinced the conference to stick together, even without Colorado and Nebraska, both of whom had already bailed. In an effort to balance out the new 11-team conference, the Pac-10 invited Utah, but it seems they are having some second thoughts…

The expansion may not help the Pac-10 out at all, which is why UCLA chancellor Chuck Young is pushing for the conference to block the expansion. The new teams don’t positively affect the geography or academic success of the conference. And neither team even brings any good rivalries to play. The “package deal” including most of the Big 12 south would have pushed the new Pac-16 into super hero status among college football conferences. But what will Colorado and Utah add?

Regardless, it is unfair to even consider – or promote, Mr. Young – excluding these soon-to-be Pac-10 schools. I was raised to believe that once you made a commitment, you stick to it, even if it isn’t ideal and isn’t what you had originally planned. Would you invite six friends over for dinner and then ask two not to come if they were the only ones who RSVPed? Especially if those friends chose to hang out with you instead of the four who didn’t come over? Pac-10: Colorado and Utah chose YOU. Do everyone the curtsey of choosing them back.

And if it doesn’t work out? Sorry, don’t try to break up a good conference next time! Or at least don’t count those chickens until it’s all said and done.