PAC-12 Realignment: How Will The Old PAC-12 Schools Line Up In Their New Conferences?

Sep 19

The PAC-12 lost most of their members due to conference realignments for the upcoming athletic seasons. In the sport of swimming, this caused multiple schools to immediately move into other conferences to keep their programs afloat. How will this affect the powerhouse schools entering new territory, and how will this change the projections for the other four conference rankings? The following PAC-12 schools had swim teams that were impacted by the change: Stanford, CAL, USC, ASU, UCLA, Arizona, Washington State, & Utah. Here is a rundown of how they may fall into place at their new conferences.

Atlantic Coast Conference - Stanford & California

Top 3 Conference Finisher Predictions

Men:

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University of California-Berkeley
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North Carolina State University
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Stanford University
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Cal & Stanford are projected to make an immediate impact on the conference. The Bears have the capabilities to overtake most, if not all, of the relay top spots this coming year at the conference championships. Stanford also shows promise in penetrating the top three spots with projected top 8 finishes that can add up the points in their favor.

Women:

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University of Virginia
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Stanford University
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University of Louisville
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Given their dominance of not just the ACC, but the NCAA as national champions for the past four years, it is hard to predict that anyone will come in and take the top spot from UVA. However, Stanford is a likely contender for second or third in the conference with projected dominance in a number of events. Cal also has a decent shot at cracking the top three with a projected placement of 4th based on the 2023-24 season.

Big 10 Conference - USC & UCLA

Top 3 Conference Finisher Predictions

Men:

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Indiana University-Bloomington
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University of Michigan
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Ohio State University
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UCLA currently does not have a men’s team, but it doesn’t look too likely that the men of USC will crack the top three at the B1G Championships in 2025. It is safe to say they will likely run somewhere in the middle of the pack. This was also the theme for them as members of the PAC-12 scoring 5th at both the 2023 & 2024 Championships.

Women:

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Indiana-University-Bloomington
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University of Southern California
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University of Michigan
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While the men are likely to ride in the middle of the pack, the USC women are contenders for a top three spot and potentially the 2025 B1G Championship title. Just biting at the heels of the Hoosiers, an unexpected victory in just one event could change the tables for the conferences new addition

Big XI Conference - Arizona, ASU, & Utah

Top 3 Conference Finisher Predictions

Men:

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Arizona State University
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University of Texas
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University of Arizona
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One interesting story line this year will be to see how ASU and UT face up against one another. Bob Bowman is entering his first year as Texas’ head coach after leading ASU to win the 2024 NCAA Division I Championship for the first time in program history. Until now, Texas has dramatically dominated the Big XI conference on the men’s & women’s side, but the addition of ASU may end their streak that has spanned close to three decades. Arizona will likely take that third spot from the next fastest team, Texas Christian University.

Women:

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University of Texas
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Arizona State University
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University of Arizona
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The women of Texas will likely dominate the rest of the conference as they have in years past. However, ASU and Arizona University plan to bridge the gap, potentially taking the 2nd and 3rd spot. Like the men, the women at UT have a respectable streak of their own in the Big XI lasting 12 years thus far. This past year, they won 21 of the 22 events swum at the championship meet.

Mountain West Conference - Washington State

Top 3 Conference Finisher Predictions

Women:

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San Diego State University
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University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Washington State University
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The Mountain West Conference will be undergoing changes soon as four of their members will join the recovering PAC-12 for the 2025-26 season. However, Washington State is set to compete with them for 2024-25. As of now, a strong prediction is that San Diego State University & UNLV will fight for the top spot, while WSU will make their mark sitting comfortably in the third position.