PAC 12 Expansion

[Ragin9221]

Someone comes up with a hypothetical and the minions converge from all angle administration, lawyers, fans of other schools. Crazy

Actually, I like the hypothetical, and I think we need to address it head‑on. The Pac‑12 would at least put us in the conversation, and I understand why Texas State made the move they did. We should be willing to look at every opportunity on the table. At the end of the day, it’s all about pros and cons, which I already laid out in my earlier post.

But let’s be real. The Big 12 isn’t just adding anybody. They’re not handing out $45 million a year because they feel generous. We’re going to have to earn it, whether we’re in the Sun Belt or the Pac‑12. That part doesn’t change.

And yeah, I’d rather be a cellar‑dweller in the Big 12 than a contender in the Sun Belt, but the Big 12 would never let us in without real results. Either way, the formula is the same: we dominate. We dominate the Sun Belt, or we dominate the Pac‑12, but domination is the only path. There’s no shortcut, no backdoor, no “maybe they’ll like us.” We have to force our way into the conversation by being undeniable.

That’s the reality. And if we’re serious about moving up, that’s the standard.

[Turbine]

If we’re staying in the Sun Belt, and I think that’s the right move, ...

Only move, even though it's a no move.

Only option is to protect the "Louisiana" market on a state wide level and prevent SBC dilution at all costs.

[Duckster]

If you want my honest opinion. If the Big 12 expands again, it’s not coming east it’s raiding what’s left of the Pac‑12. That’s the money path, that’s the geography, and they’ve already shown their hand with Colorado, Utah, BYU, Arizona, and Arizona State. They’re building a western arm, and when they add again, it’ll be schools like Colorado State, Boise State, and San Diego State. UL isn’t even in that room.

if UL wants a real shot at moving to the Big 12. The focus has to be west. Not east. Not fantasy. West. Even Louisiana Tech figured that out twenty years ago. It didn’t work out for them, but at least they understood the direction the sport was moving.

And honestly, the only realistic path for UL is a rebuilt Pac‑12 looking for stability, academics, and new markets. An R1 school in the Gulf South actually fits what they’d need. And we’d get national visibility, recruiting reach, and a platform we’ll never get in the Sun Belt. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s the only lane that makes sense.

But let’s be real, jumping to the Pac‑12 means trading stability for chaos. And UL isn’t getting picked ahead of SDSU, Boise, or CSU unless we dramatically level up. If we miss, we’re stuck in a weaker, more unstable league than the Sun Belt is right now.

Sometimes you take risks. But the pros only outweigh the cons if UL is willing to make a massive financial commitment to athletics. Not talk. Not “one day.” Real investment. Because the schools we’d be competing with aren’t playing around they’ve got the money, the markets, the academics, and the commitment.

Only one or two of them are getting in.

Excellent analysis sir. Well written!

Think about it, we're about to begin our 26th season of SBC football. From 2001 - 2011 SBC was the right place to be for UL. Then we should have aggressively been pursuing CUSA which if we were playing our cards right would have led to AAC membership a few years ago. AAC might be our G6 ceiling. Anyway we blew (again) it by being sitting ducks the past 15 years. Do people realize since SBC football began in 2001 nine of the current fourteen members are FCS move ups? Blah. Now the reimagined PAC 12 will challenge AAC as top G6 conference perhaps will prove to be equals. There's an outside chance of being a football only add in the PAC 12. There's risk in pursuing it, but on the other hand it seems a much larger risk to continue being a sitting duck in today's college athletics environment. UL should kick the tires on learning upsides/downsides of a football only membership in PAC 12. Just imagine after the blast that was our 2011 football season did anyone believe we'd be in SBC another 15 years? Now think ahead 15 years to 2041, will our fanbase be comfortable still being in the SBC? It will happen because that's the easy, safe path. Not because its the right thing for UL and UL supporters.

[Turbine]

Excellent analysis sir. Well written!

Think about it, we're about to begin our 26th season of SBC football. From 2001 - 2011 SBC was the right place to be for UL. Then we should have aggressively been pursuing CUSA which if we were playing our cards right would have led to AAC membership a few years ago. AAC might be our G6 ceiling. Anyway we blew (again) it by being sitting ducks the past 15 years. Do people realize since SBC football began in 2001 nine of the current fourteen members are FCS move ups? Blah. Now the reimagined PAC 12 will challenge AAC as top G6 conference perhaps will prove to be equals. There's an outside chance of being a football only add in the PAC 12. There's risk in pursuing it, but on the other hand it seems a much larger risk to continue being a sitting duck in today's college athletics environment. UL should kick the tires on learning upsides/downsides of a football only membership in PAC 12. Just imagine after the blast that was our 2011 football season did anyone believe we'd be in SBC another 15 years? Now think ahead 15 years to 2041, will our fanbase be comfortable still being in the SBC? It will happen because that's the easy, safe path. Not because its the right thing for UL and UL supporters.

Excellent recap/precap.

[Ragin9221]

Excellent analysis sir. Well written!

Think about it, we're about to begin our 26th season of SBC football. From 2001 - 2011 SBC was the right place to be for UL. Then we should have aggressively been pursuing CUSA which if we were playing our cards right would have led to AAC membership a few years ago. AAC might be our G6 ceiling. Anyway we blew (again) it by being sitting ducks the past 15 years. Do people realize since SBC football began in 2001 nine of the current fourteen members are FCS move ups? Blah. Now the reimagined PAC 12 will challenge AAC as top G6 conference perhaps will prove to be equals. There's an outside chance of being a football only add in the PAC 12. There's risk in pursuing it, but on the other hand it seems a much larger risk to continue being a sitting duck in today's college athletics environment. UL should kick the tires on learning upsides/downsides of a football only membership in PAC 12. Just imagine after the blast that was our 2011 football season did anyone believe we'd be in SBC another 15 years? Now think ahead 15 years to 2041, will our fanbase be comfortable still being in the SBC? It will happen because that's the easy, safe path. Not because its the right thing for UL and UL supporters.

Thank you! And honestly, people act like the Sun Belt just sat around doing nothing. This league has grown aggressively. Adding JMU, Troy, Georgia Southern, App State, Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and the rest wasn’t luck. It was strategy. When it comes to realignment, the SBC has played every hand perfectly. They couldn’t have executed a better plan if they tried. We went from an afterthought to the strongest G5 in the country because the conference actually understood the moment and moved with purpose.

And here’s the part people forget: if we had jumped to C‑USA back then, ULM might’ve been ahead of us in conference positioning. That’s not a joke that’s the truth. We’d be sitting exactly where Louisiana Tech is now, stuck on the outside looking in, begging for a seat at the Sun Belt table instead of being one of the anchors of the league. That alternate timeline is ugly, and it shows how close we were to making the wrong move.

The Sun Belt saved itself by being smart. And we benefited from that.

[Turbine]

if we had jumped to C‑USA back then, ULM might’ve been ahead of us in conference positioning. That’s not a joke that’s the truth. We’d be sitting exactly where Louisiana Tech is now, stuck on the outside looking in,

If Louisiana had jumped to CUSA before Tech, the SBC would no longer exist.

[Ragin9221]

If Louisiana had jumped to CUSA before Tech, the SBC would no longer exist.

You dont think they would of called universities up like App State, or GS to keep themselves afloat? I think they would of.