Former Pac-12 football players band together to restore league's image

The Pac-12 wants to improve its football product. Who better to help with that than some former conference greats?

The league announced Monday it called in some big names from Pac-12 past to help make the league better on the field as part of the Pac-12 Football Alumni Council. Two Pac-12 teams made the final College Football Playoff rankings this year, but the conference hasn’t had a team in the national championship since Oregon in 2014. In fact, that’s the only time a Pac-12 team has made the CFP championship game.

Here are the members of the committee:

• Scooby Wright (Arizona)
• Brandon Sanders (Arizona)
• Eric Allen (Arizona State)
• Justin Forsett (Cal)
• Shane Vereen (Cal)
• Alex Mack (Cal)
• Chad Brown (Colorado)
• Mike Pritchard (Colorado)
• Mike Bellotti (Oregon)
• Tyrell Crosby (Oregon)
• Steven Jackson (Oregon State)
• Brandin Cooks (Oregon State)
• Toby Gerhart (Stanford)
• Zach Ertz (Stanford)
• Toi Cook (Stanford)
• Johnathan Franklin (UCLA)
• Marcedes Lewis (UCLA)
• Derrick Deese (USC)
• Tim McDonald (USC)
• Steve Smith (Utah)
• Lincoln Kennedy (Washington)
• Brock Huard (Washington)
• Dana Hall (Washington)
• Jack Thompson (Washington State)

“It is such a privilege to be a part of an alumni council that understands the challenges ahead for college athletics and college football in particular,” Huard said in a statement. “But more importantly, this group seeks to maximize the massive opportunities in front of the Pac-12 and its incredible institutions.”

Inside the numbers: The 2021 Pac-12 season

Of the 12 teams in the league, five — Utah, Oregon, Washington State, Arizona State and UCLA — are bowl eligible. On the recruiting trail, only Stanford and Oregon are in the top 25 of the On3 Consensus Team Rankings.

Pac-12 senior associate commissioner Merton Hanks released a statement about the formation of council and why the league decided to go forward with it.

“We are committed to building deeper relationships with our football alumni through substantive engagement on football matters,” Hanks stated. “Our Pac-12 Football Alumni Council boasts unmatched football knowledge and national fan followings, and we look forward to working with them to support Pac-12 football across both promotional and strategic levels.”

The league got a big win to its resume this season when Oregon defeated Ohio State on the road in September. Utah and Oregon faced off in the conference championship, and the Utes came out on top 38-10.

With the victory, Utah secured an appearance in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. That game is set for Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.