It has been a brutal past week for the island of misfit toys left in the Pac 12. The future of the now Pac 4 seems bleak as everyone got a new home except for them.

BREAKING: Arizona, Arizona State & 2-time defending Pac-12 champion Utah joining Big 12 in 2024 pending Big 12 formal approval in next 24 hours, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Big 12 will be 3rd league w/at least 16 schools, while Pac-12 down to 4 schoolshttps://t.co/ElL3jh2HLg

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 4, 2023

The Pac-4 Conference👀 pic.twitter.com/N3aYgbTTXA

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) August 4, 2023

Big 12 has “no appetite” to add any of Pac-4 schools or San Diego State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. “We have no interest in doing anything,” source said. “We’re done.”

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 7, 2023

However there are still options for the 4 orphans of conference realignment. As a fan, I believe this is the ideal scenario.

Washington State / Oregon State to the Big Ten. Stanford and Cal to the Mountain West.

I can live with this scenario. This keeps the rivalry games of the Civil War and Apple Cup alive. Not only making sure the games continue, but picking up the Platypus Trophy in the Big Ten is a huge get!

Stanford and Cal feel more mountain west than Big Ten. Maybe mixing up the schedule a bit can help these teams get back to a bowl game in the future.

The Mountain West might not have the TV contracts of the ACC, but let’s be honest that is stupid. A cross country flight to play your closest away game would be brutal. Not to mention you reward for the flight is getting your teeth kicked in by Clemson! It’s just dumb. Play teams that are at least a little close to you and end the madness.