LOS ANGELES — On Friday afternoon, from behind the buffet line at Pac-12 media day, an attendant watched as people in team-issued gear paraded through for two hours. A confused look crept across his face.
Finally, the attendant leaned over the dish of chicken fajitas and, in a low whisper meant for only one person, asked a question.
“What is the Pac-12?”
It’s complicated.
What actually is the Pac-12? After all, many here at Friday’s annual media day extravaganza referenced the league as the Pac-10.
The Pac-12 was a cohesive collection of like-minded West Coast universities, steeped in a century of history and tradition, home to America’s oldest bowl game, the nation’s Olympic sports kings, a league that dubbed itself the “conference of champions” whose central hub was right here, built around its two big brands, USC and UCLA.