Will 2022 see a comeback for the Pac-12 conference?

With multiple members making noise in 2021 and/or making big offseason moves, could the Pac-12 conference be in for a turnaround this Fall?

For years now, the Pac-12 has been seen as the prime punching bag of Power 5 football. This is mainly because the league has only presented two playoff-caliber teams in the CFP era so far, and neither of which came overly close to actually winning the national championship.

Not only that, but a member of the Pac-12 hasn’t managed to win it all since USC did so in the 2004-05 CFB season (back when it was still the Pac-10). That makes their league the frontrunner for longest championship drought of any Power 5 conference.

All hope might not be lost, however, as there are multiple signs as of late that have hinted at a potential Pac-12 rebirth unfolding over the course of the coming seasons. This may not necessarily mean that a Pacific Coast team will be winning a national title anytime soon, but it certainly doesn’t hurt the chances of such a thing happening.

This newfound hype predominantly surrounds the Pac-12’s South division –which is surprising, as the South powers have developed a nasty habit of losing to their Northern counterparts in the conference’s title game in recent memory.

But nonetheless, there are two South teams that are getting more praise than anyone else due to their current circumstances, and those two are USC and Utah.

As far as the Trojans 2021 run is concerned, they looked terrible, amassing a 4-8 record and firing their head coach. However, they have since hired former Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley and are expected to noticeably rise in the Pac-12 hierarchy as soon as possible.

When it comes to the Utes, their formidability is actually even more concrete. This is most namely because of their recent Rose Bowl appearance (their first ever) that they almost won over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Not to mention that the Rose Bowl came soon after Utah’s first Pac-12 title.

Clearly, Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham has not shown the college football world all that he can do just yet, and his squad should show little-to-no signs of slowing down this Fall.

One more South team that deserves some love is UCLA, as the Bruins donned an admirable 8-4 record by the end of their regular-season stretch. Said stretch included dominating wins over all three of their in-state rivals (USC, California and Stanford). If HC Chip Kelly can keep that up, he just might keep his job after all.

But we can’t just stop there without giving the North division some praise for their own achievements.

Stanford, of all teams, is leading the Pac-12 in 2022 recruiting hauls, headlined by seven 4-star recruits currently on board. Only one other team in the conference has that many 4-stars: Oregon, a fellow North power.

As for other Northern programs on the come-up, both Oregon State and Washington State saw 7-win regular seasons. That is the most regular-season victories that ORST has seen since 2012, and the most that WSU has seen since 2018.

It may not be much, but when compared to the might of other Power 5 leagues, the Pac-12 has nowhere to go but up. If all of the teams mentioned today can get about eight wins each, all the Pac-12 will need is a clear-cut title contender to finally get its CFB footprint back.