Add the Zags to the Pac12 to immediately increase its credibility

[Zagdawg]

Sports Illustrated
‏
Verified account

@SInow
28m28 minutes ago
More
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Pac-12 has only one team ranked in the AP Top 25.

@JonRothstein says that the conference should consider adding Gonzaga, to immediately increase its credibility

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1102688171567964161

[webspinnre]

Chances of the Pac-12 going for this? Approximately 0%.

[MDABE80]

Why would we gift them a "Gonzaga"? We're no 1 ranking and a no 1 seed without them.. Seems like we're doing ok as thing are now...……o
SO we can quiet down some of the Blue Bloods who whine about everyone who is NOT them?? We play to win. We don't play to please some other schools.

[bartruff1]

He must be drunk or joking.... ….. or both...

[Zagceo]

get Microsoft money donors build a Carrier type dome alla Syracuse and bring on Boise State as a travel partner.

Until we have turnover in administration...it will not be considered

[ZagMan in Philly]

Can coach Few coach Football too? If not,....

[hockeyzag]

I've found that Jon Rothstein is pretty much universally regarded as one of the worst college basketball journalists.

[EEzag]

I've found that Jon Rothstein is pretty much universally regarded as one of the worst college basketball journalists.

They would have better luck trying to pry away Nevada.

[MickMick]

Not too long ago, the narrative was to add GU to the PAC 12 to lend credibility to Gonzaga.

Now it is for Gonzaga to lend credibility to the PAC 12.

I have an idea. Let Arizona and USC properly vet their assistants before hiring them (totally giving the athletic administrations the benefit of the culpable doubt here). Let UCLA hire a great coach and stick with him through down years, letting him rebuild the program piece by piece. That is how the PAC 12 can most regain their credibility.

Right now, UW and OU are the flagships of PAC 12 basketball. I'm good with that. Let them build tradition and culture. Move the balance of power to the Pacific Northwest.

[Zagsker]

I guess I dont see why GU could not join the P12 in all but football?

ND is in ACC sans football, although GU doesn't match ND football in historical context they definitely have two decades on them in recent context

[gueastcoast]

It's a good thing Rothstein didn't post this directly to the GUB, else it would be called a stupid thread and he'd be body-slammed from all sides.

Heaven forfend anyone ever wander off the reservation, even if in so doing one's tongue is ever so slightly in one's cheek.

[zagbeliever]

Why would we gift them a "Gonzaga"? We're no 1 ranking and a no 1 seed without them.. Seems like we're doing ok as thing are now...……o
SO we can quiet down some of the Blue Bloods who whine about everyone who is NOT them?? We play to win. We don't play to please some other schools.

Well said.

[gonzagafan62]

Why? It would just be a weak conference for Gonzaga

[bartruff1]

Get real ….the PAC 12 is made up of the top (R1) Research Universities in the West.....they would never accept Nevada or BYU or Gonzaga... although Gonzaga was some sort of affiliate/associate member for baseball some years ago...

[LongIslandZagFan]

I heard it was floated years ago as basketball only in P12. But it was nothing more than exploratory.

[kitzbuel]

I vote Portland and SCU to PAC12 and the WCC can admit UofA and UW.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[JPtheBeasta]

Not that long ago there would have been talk about a move to the PAC-12 to improve Gonzaga’s credibility. How times have changed...

[Zagceo]

gotta admit I'd get a chance to watch Gonzaga play 2 games again in Los Angeles if they were in Pac 14 conference.

[seacatfan]

Right now, UW and OU are the flagships of PAC 12 basketball. I'm good with that. Let them build tradition and culture. Move the balance of power to the Pacific Northwest.

UW has had one good year after nearly a decade of not much. Flagship? Really? And Oregon, after getting to a Final 4, has gone 10-8 conference/23-13 overall last year and 8-8 and 17-12 this year. They are currently in a 3 way tie for 6th place. Again, flagship? You're really reaching.

[MontanaCoyote]

Small is Beautiful. Biggest fish in a small pond? Priceless!

[MDABE80]

In the 70's GU baseball was in the Pac 10 North. Being the historian Angelo is, perhaps he may comment on how that happened and how/why it was terminated.

[coolhandzag]

The PAC-12 is playing basketball this year? No ####? When did that happen?

Do you know when Gonzaga has arrived. They half-ass what I would have considered the biggest rivalry and still win.

Maybe J.R. should write about how the Nike U shifts its malcontents to other universities? Now that would be something.

The best thing about being a production artist in the sports entertainment world? You can make it up as you go. The PAC-12 needs Gonzaga? Sure as hell does. The PAC-12 needs a hell of a lot more then GU to gain credibility.

[Angelo Roncalli]

In the 70's GU baseball was in the Pac 10 North. Being the historian Angelo is, perhaps he may comment on how that happened and how/why it was terminated.

Allow me to emerge from hibernation to reply. Actually, it was in the '80's. In the 70's Gonzaga was a member of the Norpac with Portland, Portland State, Idaho, Eastern, and Boise State (as I recall) for baseball after the Big Sky dropped baseball as a conference sport. In the early 80's, Idaho and Boise State dropped baseball (Boise State later revived baseball, Idaho has not). The Pac-10 took on Gonzaga, Eastern, Portland and Portland State as affiliate members for baseball only in 1982. This arrangement lasted for over 10 years, into the 90's. Eventually, Gonzaga baseball joined the WCC in the mid-90's so that all sports could be in one conference.

For a while the Gonzaga women's rowing squad competed in the Pac-10 crew championships (this was before Utah and Colorado joined the Pac) In may of 2006, Gonzaga's novice 8 won the the Pac-10 novice championships. GU beat UW in this race. This is the only Pac 8/10/12 title Gonzaga ever won. Soon after, Gonzaga was shooed out of the Pac-10.

Here is the e-mail I send to GU's rowing coach the day after the novices won their race:

Coach,

Congratulations to you and the freshman women from a proud alum. I live north of the UW campus in Seattle. As you may know, there is a legendary hamburger/breakfast joint near University Village called "Burgermaster." There's a group of tables against one wall in an area called the "crew corner", adorned with an old "W" oar and lots of pictures of the Husky crew teams from the past and present. Every morning, the tables in the area are full of Husky alumni rowers who revel in the old days and the latest accomplishments of the Husky crews as they have their morning coffee. On Monday morning, I made sure I wore my Gonzaga Rowing t-shirt and sat at a table near the old buzzards. One of them muttered loudly, "I can't believe our girls lost to Gonzaga." I replied "You better shut your mouth, or we'll start a football team and start kicking your ass in that sport, too." The look on his face was priceless. Then I said, "Did any of your boats win a race yesterday?" Lots of dark scowls.

Great job."

Here was his reply:

"Thanks a lot - I would like to forward this to my staff and my team with your permission. As one of those Husky alums - I am as proud of those girls as you are. Let me know if I can send your thoughts to our team.
Thanks Again, Glenn
PS - Let me know when you are in Spokane - I would love to meet you and show you how things have changed."

As to Gonzaga ever joining the Pac 12 for basketball, or any other sport, I don't think it will ever happen, for these reasons: (1) it is my understanding the Pac-12 charter limits membership to major research universities (we're a lot of things, but we're not yet a major research university); (2) the Pac-12 requires all members to play football (Gonzaga will never, ever, ever resume football); and (3) some of the Pac-12 schools (including one with a mylar tree as its mascot) are opposed to allowing faith-based schools into the conference (which is why BYU has never been seriously considered). If the Pac 12 wouldn't give Boise State any consideration, it's not going to give GU a second thought.

[webspinnre]

Allow me to emerge from hibernation to reply. Actually, it was in the '80's. In the 70's Gonzaga was a member of the Norpac with Portland, Portland State, Idaho, Eastern, and Boise State (as I recall) for baseball after the Big Sky dropped baseball as a conference sport. In the early 80's, Idaho and Boise State dropped baseball (Boise State later revived baseball, Idaho has not). The Pac-10 took on Gonzaga, Eastern, Portland and Portland State as affiliate members for baseball only in 1982. This arrangement lasted for over 10 years, into the 90's. Eventually, Gonzaga baseball joined the WCC in the mid-90's so that all sports could be in one conference.

For a while the Gonzaga women's rowing squad competed in the Pac-10 crew championships (this was before Utah and Colorado joined the Pac) In may of 2006, Gonzaga's novice 8 won the the Pac-10 novice championships. GU beat UW in this race. This is the only Pac 8/10/12 title Gonzaga ever won. Soon after, Gonzaga was shooed out of the Pac-10.

Here is the e-mail I send to GU's rowing coach the day after the novices won their race:

Coach,

Congratulations to you and the freshman women from a proud alum. I live north of the UW campus in Seattle. As you may know, there is a legendary hamburger/breakfast joint near University Village called "Burgermaster." There's a group of tables against one wall in an area called the "crew corner", adorned with an old "W" oar and lots of pictures of the Husky crew teams from the past and present. Every morning, the tables in the area are full of Husky alumni rowers who revel in the old days and the latest accomplishments of the Husky crews as they have their morning coffee. On Monday morning, I made sure I wore my Gonzaga Rowing t-shirt and sat at a table near the old buzzards. One of them muttered loudly, "I can't believe our girls lost to Gonzaga." I replied "You better shut your mouth, or we'll start a football team and start kicking your ass in that sport, too." The look on his face was priceless. Then I said, "Did any of your boats win a race yesterday?" Lots of dark scowls.

Great job."

Here was his reply:

"Thanks a lot - I would like to forward this to my staff and my team with your permission. As one of those Husky alums - I am as proud of those girls as you are. Let me know if I can send your thoughts to our team.
Thanks Again, Glenn
PS - Let me know when you are in Spokane - I would love to meet you and show you how things have changed."

As to Gonzaga ever joining the Pac 12 for basketball, or any other sport, I don't think it will ever happen, for these reasons: (1) it is my understanding the Pac-12 charter limits membership to major research universities (we're a lot of things, but we're not yet a major research university); (2) the Pac-12 requires all members to play football (Gonzaga will never, ever, ever resume football); and (3) some of the Pac-12 schools (including one with a mylar tree as its mascot) are opposed to allowing faith-based schools into the conference (which is why BYU has never been seriously considered). If the Pac 12 wouldn't give Boise State any consideration, it's not going to give GU a second thought.

Great post, and good to hear from you.

[Birddog]

Ahhhh, the Burgermaster. Back in the day I used to grab a cheeseburger and a Tom and Jerry shake 2 or 3 times a week from there.