In the record-breaking Las Vegas heat this July, the fate of a West Coast college football conference was in the air.
Inside one small conference room in the Bellagio, Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty held court for any media who wanted to talk ahead of a season in which he has made an early case for Heisman Trophy consideration. Jeanty was in the room because Mountain West media days were being held within the sportsbook over at the Circa, and Jeanty couldn’t enter, as he is not yet 21 years old.
A few rooms down from Jeanty in the Bellagio, the two Pac-12 remnants held a cocktail hour, “After Hours with the Beavs and Cougs.” Washington State mascot Butch T. Cougar walked around in a red jacket with chest fur laid bare. It was not meant to be a night of mourning. Former Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf said the Pac-12 defectors would regret their decisions. A few curse words were uttered over the situation the two schools found themselves in.
Pac-2 After Dark in Vegas is fully underway. pic.twitter.com/qSBUONAioR
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) July 11, 2024
“If anybody has earned the right to drink, it’s the Pac-12,” new commissioner Teresa Gould told the crowd, which responded with cheers.
But in private conversations over those few days in…
