With the formalization of Texas State joining the Pac-12, the musical chairs of western conference realignment has reached a temporary conclusion (it’s always temporary with conference realignment). No further schools are expected to be added to the Pac-12 or the Mountain West in the immediate future. With the loss of its autonomous conference status, the Pac-12 is now a peer conference to the Mountain West. Obviously geographically speaking that’s true, but also in the two conference’s Group of Five (Group of Six?) status. Even more important is that both have the goal of being the top G5 conference in the nation. The Mountain West had been racing toward that goal in the last half decade, especially in men’s basketball, and were only missing some bounce-back seasons in football from programs like Utah State and San Diego State (among others) in order to be the clear-cut best-of-the-rest league in the two major sports. Now, the Pac-12 is usurping the crown Gloria Nevarez was in hot pursuit of — and nearly had. Oregon State and Washington State dropped the hammer by flexing their war chest of hundreds of millions to reel in the best programs from the Mountain West and lure in