DING! DING! DING! Jon Wilner hits another bullseye in this week's PAC Hotline.
If Oregon State and Washington State eventually merge with the Mountain West to become a new Pac-12, would that group maintain Power Five status? — @WHS1969
The Hotline views that outcome as unlikely, but let’s be clear on the categorization: The term ‘Power Five’ is part of the College Football Playoff lexicon; it’s not an NCAA governance term.
We suspect the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and SEC will vote to have the Pac-12 removed from the power conference tier, which would impact playoff revenue but not access.
The expanded event will have five automatic bids in a sport with four power conferences. The highest-ranked champion from the Group of Five (or Group of Six, as the case may be) will have a guaranteed berth waiting for it.