Washington & Oregon Schools Left Out in the Cold on the Pac-12 Alignment

        Today, Pac-12 commissioner, Larry Scott officially unveiled the alignment of the new Pac-12.  As it is set the North Divison will be UW, WSU, UO, OSU, Cal, & Stanford leaving USC, UCLA, UA, ASU, Colorado, & Utah in the South Division.  The winner of each division will meet in a conference championship game to be held at the home field of the highest ranked team.  Each team will play all 5 divisionional rivals and 4 cross-over games.  However, all the California schools will continue to play each other every year.  Which means UW, WSU, UO, & OSU are the abused illegitimate step children.  They'll each only travel to the big-market exposed, recruit-fertile grounds of the LA region only once every other year.
         Although, it's hard to imagine that an alignment of any other would make much sense.  And regardless someone was going to be left out.  In the long run, I think the positives of an expanded conference and a championship game will outweigh the negatives.  And in a couple years from now when the topic of super-conferences re-emerges, you can bet the Pac-12 will be in prime position.