Heading into the latest round of conference restructuring, it remains to be seen whether past mistakes — anyone remember the souped-up 1990s version of the Western Athletic Conference? — are paid heed.
In this case, all eyes are on the Pac-10 as it figures out how to cope with new members Colorado and Utah next year. The decision? Breaking up the California quartet. Cal and Stanford will be grouped with the northern schools when division play starts in 2012. UCLA and USC go south.
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We’ve seen this in the ACC, in which Maryland and Virginia still play every year in football despite being in separate divisions and get a home-and-home series in basketball without a round-robin schedule. But something is always lost.
Yes, the Los Angeles schools, which in the past received a higher share of television revenue, have accepted an equal split of the pie this time. That avoids the resentment Texas generated in the recently imploded Big 12. But if revenues fall below $170 million a year, USC and UCLA each get a monetary bonus. Conference unity exists only to a point.
