The Arizona State Sun Devils hit the practice field for the first time knowing this is their final season in the Pac-12 conference, after finalizing a move Friday to the Big 12 beginning in August 2024.
"I have the fan in me, that's like, 'Man, I grew up in the Pac," ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "Like the rivalries, the tradition. That's the fan in me. The coach, who came in here to do a job and to get this place where I know it can go, is excited and thrilled because I know this was by far the best thing for Arizona State."
When asked if they felt responsible for the destruction of the Pac-12, ASU President Michael Crow and Athletic Director Ray Anderson rebutted.
"We were the stalwarts, fighting for the Pac-12 until the last ditch," Crow said.
"We were trying to save it and stayed in the trenches as long as we could until it became clear that it was no longer in our control," Anderson continued.
Both were on hand for Saturday's practice, willing to discuss the Pac-12's demise.
From topics like the media deal presented with Apple that would digitize all football and basketball games with a touch of a button on any device.
"A technological 23rd-century Star Trek thing of really unbelievable capability that we were very interested in," Crow explained.
There was a 7 a.m. call Friday morning among Pac-12 presidents to save the conference, but two schools were surprising no-shows.
That led to Crow having discussions with the Big 12, and presidents from Kansas, Iowa State and Baylor at 10:30 a.m.
"We were very interested at ASU on finding a way to connect to more people, and so forth," Crow said. "But we have to be in a viable conference to do that, and once Oregon and Washington decided to go to the Big 10, that conference was no longer viable."
The leaders at ASU and UArizona were always planning on sticking together, no matter the conference. Now all four Pac-12 defectors that are Big 12 bound will get full share membership.
Things had gotten lackadaisical, even downright apathetic in the Pac-12, but that is quickly going to change.
"There's a cultural difference that's very meaningful, right? Because in Big 12 country, they care so much about football and basketball," said Sun Devil Source's Chris Karpman. "If you're part of that bloodstream, you really have no choice but to get in line with that."
With that comes the need to pour resources into the revenue sports, or be left behind in a hurry.
"Does that league have higher budgets? Yes. Does that leave league have more financial investment? Yes," said Dillingham. "Because of the situation we're in, we're gonna get the opportunity to probably advance in those categories."
But that begs the question of the potential to cut some non-revenue sports to keep up.
"ASU, they have 26 sports. Oklahoma State has 16 sports because they're so focused on making sure that football is given all the resources that enables everything else to function in their athletic department," said Karpman. "That, I think, is one of the biggest things that led to the Pac-12's demise, is that they were trying to do everything."
"We didn't get into this business of adding sports just to cut sports," Anderson said.
There is still a lot to learn — Will the Big 12 be broken up into geographic divisions? What kind of impact will the new conference destinations have on the travel budget?
Those details will be sorted out, but for now: "It's an exciting moment for the Big 12," Crow said. "It's an exciting moment for us athletically."
