The Hollywood actor recalls his feelings about Washington’s departure from the Pac-12

Conference realignment is nothing new to college football, but with the rise of the NIL and the transfer portal, conferences are adding new teams on a much more regular basis. After 107 seasons in the so-called Pac-12, the Washington Huskies jumped on the bandwagon and joined the Big Ten along with former Pac-12 members Oregon, USC and UCLA.

On Monday’s episode of “The Triple Option” podcast, former Washington player Joel McHale discussed Washington’s Pac-12 exit and the conference’s failure.

“I was very sad about Washington leaving the Pac-12 because that was the West Coast,” McHale said (timestamp: 35:43). “That was our league. I understand why everyone did that, because of the consolidation of power to be competitive with the SEC, and I understand why it happened. It was just an ugly moment when it all happened.”

McHale also said he feels “bad” about the remaining Pac-12 schools: Washington State and Oregon State. The Pac-12 has already begun adding new schools to rebuild the conference following the conference’s recent realignment.

Pac-12 will welcome four programs from the Mountain West Conference

The Pac-12 wasted no time in getting to work rebuilding the conference after losing 10 schools in realignment, adding four Mountain West Conference programs in September.

On Sept. 12, the Pac-12 shocked the FBS landscape by adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State, with the four schools set to join after next season. The conference also later added Utah State.

However, the Mountain West wasn’t about to give up its programs so easily, as the conference attempted to impose a $55 million price tag, which led to a lawsuit from the Pac-12.

The 2025 season will mark the final year of the Pac-2 as five new teams will join the conference in 2026. The Pac-12 also added Gonzaga to create one of college basketball’s most storied programs. Washington may be eliminated from the conference, but the Pac-12 is proving resilient despite its losses.