an athletic alliance and slap on the PAC-12 logo, it will be little more than the Mountain West Conference with a change of clothes. OSU and WSU are surviving on life-support from the settlement money they got when the PAC-12 imploded. The successful coaches at these two schools have left or are trying to leave. The successful players have left or are trying to leave. WSU athletic director left and their President has announced that he is leaving. They have a scheduling agreement now with mostly G5 schools and a media rights contract that pays them a fraction ( not announced but predictable ) of what they were receiving to operate their athletic departments going forward. The new PAC-12’s revenue stream will be similar to the MWC’s revenue stream and there is little that they can do to change it. Calford & SMU already made their decision out of desperation and joined the ACC for little or no money for many years. I guess you are speculating that if the ACC isn’t around for them to join, then Calford and SMU will have to make another decision out of desperation for the future of their athletic departments. Independence IMO would likely be the best option at that point.