In just a little over a year, the Pac-12 has shrunk from a dozen to just 4 teams past the 2024 season. UCLA and USC’s departure for the B1G started a chain reaction that may well come to be the death of the conference as a whole.

It’s unclear where the conference turns now, gutted of its top programs such as Oregon, Washington (B1G), Arizona, Arizona State and Utah (Big 12) this past week alone.

On Saturday, ESPN’s Matt Barrie made some comments about the apparent death of the conference with only 4 members remaining, calling the entire situation “pretty damn sad.”

“Everything that’s been going on with this football league that’s been around for so long. Now having 4 teams remaining, it’s pretty damn sad,” Barrie said. “I’m a college football fan as you guys know… but the money hunger games have cannibalized the sport.”

Check out more of what he had to say below:

While it makes for some exciting shake-up in the college football landscape, Barrie has a point here. Sure, as he stated, the games will still be happening. Arizona and Arizona State will still play each other, as will UCLA and USC.

But regionality is important, too; especially for the newest B1G members, who now have to travel the length of the country to play most of their games. For example, Oregon’s trip to Nebraska, the closest “original” B1G program to Eugene, is further than any games in Oregon’s usual Pac-12 schedule.