In a bittersweet turn of events, the Pac-12 Conference may be nearing its end as we know it, following the conclusion of the highly anticipated Pac-12 baseball championship game. Despite the excitement surrounding the game, the underlying sentiment centered around the potential finality of the conference.

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top overall pick in the 2020 baseball draft and a former Arizona State player, expressed his feelings about the situation, stating, "It's weird that it feels like it's the end of it. I guess it makes sense - money talks to these conferences."

Money, indeed, played a decisive role in the demise of the once-proud Pac-12 Conference. With no forthcoming media rights deal, the conference began to fracture, with USC and UCLA opting to join the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah chose to make their move to the Big 12. Oregon and Washington decided to head to the Big Ten alongside the Southern California schools, while California and Stanford will be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in the upcoming season.

This consequential reshuffling has left Oregon State and Washington State as the remaining Pac-12 members, facing an uncertain future for their conference. The loss of camaraderie and mutual competition among member schools, as well as the potential end of certain awards and accolades, deeply saddened many individuals within the conference.

Chip Hale, a prominent figure in Arizona baseball, expressed his disappointment, saying, "That's the sad thing about it. You start talking about those awards, and you start thinking, boy, that's the last time this conference is going to be able to do that."

Nonetheless, if this does mark the end of the Pac-12 Conference, it did not go down without leaving a lasting impression. The conference exemplified its reputation as the "Conference of Champions" with notable accomplishments across various sports. USC clinched its 21st men's beach volleyball national championship while their women's team secured their fourth consecutive title. UCLA's women's water polo team dominated their way to an eighth NCAA championship, completing their third undefeated season. Stanford's women's golf team triumphed with their second national title in three years, and their men's gymnastics team also claimed a national championship. Additionally, the Arizona State men made history by winning their first swimming and diving national title earlier this year.

Reflecting on the conference's storied history, Spencer Torkelson nostalgically reminisced, stating, "Growing up, it was the Pac-10, then the Pac-12. It was just so much fun to watch. I feel like there were so many great teams in every sport."

The Pac-12 Conference, founded in 1916, leaves behind an indelible legacy. Boasting an impressive 561 team national championships, more than 200 greater than the next closest conference, and over 1,200 individual titles, the conference has been the breeding ground for some of the greatest athletes in college sports history, including iconic figures like Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tiger Woods, and Katie Ledecky. Furthermore, it gained widespread recognition for the thrilling late-night football games known as "Pac-12 After Dark."

As the Pac-12 faces an uncertain future, its legacy will undoubtedly fade into the rearview mirror. The conference's accomplishments will be forever enshrined in the history books, ensuring its place in collegiate sports history.