UofM reporter furious at Memphis wasting Pac-12 opportunity

CBS Sports's Gary Parrish condemned Memphis for wasting the opportunity to join the Pac-12 by recommitting to the AAC; doing the same thing as Tulane, USF, and UTSA and spurning the rebuilt conference to stay with the American.

"The Memphis football program lost to Navy, the Memphis basketball program is being investigated again, and the school's leadership is recommitting to a conference that will not be as good as the relaunched Pac-12 Memphis could've just joined," Parrish prefaced before saying, "How's everybody feeling?"

"Memphis has apparently passed on the chance to be in a football league with Boise State and Washington State, and a basketball league with Gonzaga and San Diego State, to remain in the AAC that has already lost seven of its original 10 members."

Memphis once tabbed for the ACC before recommitting to the AAC

Parrish, a UofM alumni and Memphis resident, wanted the Tigers to end up in the ACC and regularly play former rivals like Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech again.

"I've thought a lot about this -- especially from the Memphis perspective, mostly because the University of Memphis is my alma mater, and the Memphis area is where I still make my home," Parrish wrote. "When the school was first identified as a possible Pac-12 target last week, I kept an open mind and explained to anybody who asked that there were clear reasons to go but also possible reasons to pass -- the most notable one being that there's a plausible scenario where the ACC loses some big brands in the coming years and needs replacements, at which point Memphis could emerge as a primary target and reconnect with former league foes like Louisville, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech in a conference that would be weakened, sure, but still probably superior to the Pac-12 (not to mention a better geographical fit)."

The ACC may be one of the quickest ascending conferences with the re-emergence of Miami, the continued rise of Louisville, and the continued relevance of Clemson and FSU -- even with the Noles racking up nearly as many losses in 2024 as they had the past two years combined.

Memphis would've been in good company there. The Tigers also would've been better off in the Pac-12.

Sticking with the American was a lateral move at best. It may prove to be regressive depending on where the winds of conference realignment blow next.