Recapping The Pac-12's Biggest College Football Moments Of 2023

With the new year just hours away, we need not forget just how eventful of a year we just witnessed.

The college football season and the past year were as entertaining as it gets. The conference was at an all-time high in terms of competition with half the conference having Pac-12 title chances, it had some of the sport's most elite quarterbacks with three possible first-round picks, and also went through some astronomical changes in other ways. 

Unlike conferences like the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, or the ACC, the Pac-12 doesn't really have to worry about making a resolution for 2024, so let's take a look at some of the biggest moments of the year before it flees.

Where Every Former Pac-12 Team Ranks In Recruiting In Their New Conference

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Where Every Former Pac-12 Team Ranks In Recruiting In Their New Conference

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The Collapse Of The Conference

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Let's just get this one out of the way, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff had essentially the entire year to rebuild the conference following the departure of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. He not only fumbled an opportunity to get a media rights deal, but also failed to expand and preserve a conference that was over 100 years old. Not to mention, both San Diego State and SMU and likely half a dozen other programs would have jumped at an invitation. 

Deion Sanders Gets Hired At Colorado

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This was arguably one of the biggest moves in the entire sport. Deion Sanders turned what was an irrelevant and tremendously down program, into one of the most popular storylines in all of college football. He used the transfer portal in a way we've never seen, bringing in over 50 transfers, and just about everything he does behind the scenes is documented. 

Washington Ends The Conference's Playoff Drought

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Not a single Pac-12 team had made the College Football Playoff since 2016 when the Huskies did it. They ended not only the conference's dry spell, but their own. A lot of the successes have to be credited to the stellar coaching of Kalen DeBoer, but it does also help to have a possible first-round quarterback and three NFL receivers at their disposal. They will play on Monday to to advance to the title game.  

The USC Debacle

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The Trojans were viewed as the team to beat in 2023 after a great first season under Lincoln Riley. Instead, they ended up progressively getting worse throughout the year, fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, and ended up finishing 8-5 on the year.

Two Heisman Candidate Quarterbacks

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Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. gave us two tremendous battles this season, one in the regular season and one in the Pac-12 title game. They solidified themselves as program legends, Pac-12 legends, and also were named Heisman finalists. Many think that one of them should have won the award, but that shouldn't take away from the magical seasons they both had. 

Washington State and Oregon State Are Left Behind

BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL / USA TODAY

Following moves that saw the 10 other programs join the Big Ten, Big 12, or ACC, it was Oregon State and Washington State remaining in the Pac-12. They did end up winning a major lawsuit that will allow them to control the conference’s governing board. What happens to the Pac-12 and their future depends on what they can do next. 

Johnathan Smith Leaves Oregon State

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Oregon State and Washington State were left behind in all of the conference realignment, and head coach Johnathan Smith decided it was best he moved on from his alma mater. He ended up accepting the Michigan State head coaching job, while Oregon State looks to be a part of the Pac-2 rebuild.

Arizona's Great Year

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The Wildcats hadn't finished above .500 since 2017, and hadn't won 10 games since 2017. Thanks to the tremendous rebuild orchestrated by Jedd Fisch, they did both of those things this season, and capped it off with a blowout win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl which was their first bowl win since 2015. 

Stanford's 29-Point Comeback Win

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In what many view as the final straw for Colorado's season and the game that really led to their downfall in year one, was when they went up 29-0 on Stanford in the first half and ended up losing. Many people likely went to bed or turned the game off, but woke up to Sanders' squad blowing the lead and losing in overtime thanks to a historic showing by receiver Elic Ayomanor. 

The Leaving Of The Eight Other Schools

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Not all memories or moments are fun ones, but right after Pac-12 media day, it was essentially a free-for-all. The rest of the remaining programs realized a media rights deal wasn't as close or lucrative as a random professor had estimated, and officially began leaving. Oregon and Washington followed USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah left for the Big 12, and Stanford and Cal jumped to the ACC right before the start of the season.