You'll never find a more traditional Pac-10 advocate than me. I did my senior project in high school about making a Pac-10 website. The sad reality I think to come to terms with is things just changed out west to the point where it being a power conference as was doesn't work and it's because the big dogs fucked up and the markets don't like football.
It's actually very unfortunate for the Pac-12 Phil Knight wasn't a USC, UCLA or UW alum. Hell, probably even ASU. If those programs had that investment this may have overcome the big west coast markets becoming college football graveyards.
As @RaceBannon so eloquently points out, we just need a few more "improvements" to get college football just right.
One of the things that really chaps my ass about this latest "improvement" is how UO and UW who both have been CFP teams in the past 8 years get the fucking shaft, while the likes of Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota , Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, et al, get to remain in a relevant conferences.
What shit as fuck sport...