David Hookstead
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USC president Carol Folt reportedly played a large role in stopping the PAC-12 from expanding in 2021.
The PAC-12 is in a state of chaos after UCLA and USC decided to jump ship for the Big Ten starting in 2024.
Despite conference commissioner George Kliavkoff doing his best Baghdad Bob impression, the conference is in serious trouble.
Now, it’s been revealed Folt reportedly played a pivotal role in stopping the PAC-12 from expanding last year, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Following Texas and Oklahoma agreeing to join the SEC, a group of PAC-12 presidents and ADs met to decide if expansion was in the best interest of the conference.
However, Folt had zero interest and “shut it down,” according to a source that spoke to the LA Times.
Another source told the publication, “She cooled the whole process.”
A year later, the two biggest brands in the PAC-12 are packing up and leaving for greener pastures. While the PAC-12 fights to continue to survive, USC and UCLA will be swimming in money starting in 2024.
Life sure changes fast, and Folt going from reportedly killing expansion to throwing the world of college football into chaos is just the latest reminder to always expect the unexpected.
While I have no doubt Big Ten power players are happy with Folt, she might not be invited to many PAC-12 cocktail hours for the foreseeable future.
When she was Chancellor at UNC, she was known – not affectionately – as “Chancellor Chihuahua” – for her small statue and tendency to “yap” a lot. She had an extensive collection of “cause ribbons” that she would wear each day for a variety of radical left wing factions.