There is one immutable law in college sports: #Pac12AfterDark cannot be stopped.

The latest twist in the conference realignment came shortly before midnight ET on Thursday, when news broke that the Pac-12 was emerging from the coffin with the addition of four new schools. For a league that has become famous for its wild late-night moves on the football field, it was all the rage.

The official announcements took place on Thursday morning.

In the zero-sum game of realignment, it’s a triumphant day for Oregon State, Washington State and the withered husk of the Pac-12. Left for dead a year ago, they’ve been given new life. It’s not a return to power conference status, but it’s a mighty comeback.

It’s an exciting day for Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. Decades of effort and money spent getting into position for this round of reclassification have paid off.

It’s a hopeful day for a few other non-power-conference schools hoping to join them. At least two will be invited to reach the NCAA-mandated minimum of eight members for an FBS league, and possibly more. Dare to dream.

And it’s a devastating day for those left in a suddenly depleted Mountain West Conference. Maybe one or two more will be added to the new Pac-12, but most of the Abandoned Eight won’t.

As one New Mexico fan put it on X Thursday morning: “It was inevitable, but it still hurts. New Mexico is getting left behind, and as an alum, it’s heartbreaking to watch. It feels like we’re getting beat in a race we were never meant to win. It’s disappointing, frustrating, and makes me wonder why I care about college sports anymore.”

This is the way of college athletics in the modern era. Eat or be eaten. Every movement has winners and losers and huge stakes. No one should be trusted to take care of anyone but themselves.

There’s always a new wave of schools trying to climb the hierarchy: from mid-major conference to high-major, from low-major to mid-major, from FCS to low-major. This year, for example, we reached 134 FBS teams, up from 120 15 years ago. But FBS memberships are set to become much more expensive in the near future, which could limit schools’ upward mobility. The gravy train can’t keep adding riders indefinitely.

Now let’s focus on the winners.

There’s status attached to the Pac-12 brand. And money. That’s why it was kept alive. That’s why it was worth fighting for in court, with Oregon State and Washington State suing the departing schools for tens of millions of dollars in conference revenue and to keep the conference name. The Conference of Champions may not win many championships anymore, but it’s still around and—as of Thursday—has regained some appeal.

Those two schools showed patience and determination in a time of acute crisis by staying together in a two-team ghost league this year and planning their next move. Instead of being absorbed into the Mountain West, they went on a rampage. They had more to offer the top of that league than the Mountain West had to offer them.

That they pull this off the same week that Oregon State hosts Oregon and Washington State plays Washington — revenge games against schools that threatened their very existence — is a poetic flourish. There will be a newly heightened sense of pride among the Beavers and Cougars fans in those pregame tailgates.

The four Mountain West players called up are also likely to feel good today.

At Boise State, the rise has been breathtaking. It wasn’t that long ago that the school was a junior college, and in the 1990s it was an FCS sports program. Its only calling card was the blue turf in the stadium. But a series of inspired coaches took the program to the next level, from Dirk Koetter to Dan Hawkins to Chris Petersen. When Petersen stayed for eight seasons, flirting with a national championship, a new level was reached in a rapidly growing market.

Colorado State’s football success has been intermittent since Sonny Lubick had 10 straight winning seasons from 1994 to 2003. But Fort Collins is a fast-growing city that is now more populous than Boulder, and the school has committed to building a new stadium that opened in ’17. The Rams have hosted several power-conference opponents since then, including Oregon State and Washington State, and Colorado visits on Saturday for a heated rivalry game.

At Fresno State, the fighting promise of the Pat Hill era carried over to successful runs by Tim DeRuyter, Jeff Tedford (twice) and Kalen DeBoer. The Bulldogs have had 12 nine-win seasons in the 21st century, mobilizing a dedicated fan base in California’s Central Valley.

And at San Diego State, a stellar football run from 2010 to ’21 solidified the program and put it on track to build its own new stadium, which opened in ’22. That, combined with continued excellence in men’s basketball that culminated in a Final Four run in ’23, checked the performance boxes. The Southern California location made it a no-brainer for the new Pac-12.

Who’s next?

Stanford and California aren’t backing down from joining the Atlantic Coast Conference. They signed a rights-grant agreement that would lock them in financially, but it would also be a dramatic reduction in terms of all-sports competition and academic profile. There’s a reason they pushed hard to join the ACC last year: they didn’t want to be part of a Pac-12 survivor league.

UNLV is the notable absentee from Thursday’s expansion. Their location in a large, central market and as a logical hub for championship football and basketball events make the Rebels a natural fit. But there could be political headwinds to contend with as UNLV tries to separate itself from fellow state school Nevada. They could sink or swim together, and it will be fascinating to see if the Pac-12 takes on the Wolf Pack to secure Las Vegas.

As for the rest of the Mountain West, Air Force has the prestige of a service academy and something of a national brand that could make it attractive, though the Falcons might also want to reconsider their flirtation of a few years ago with the American Athletic Conference, which is home to Army and Navy. Wyoming and New Mexico are the flagship schools in states without major professional sports, but Wyoming is sparsely populated and New Mexico is a football graveyard. Utah State is a fast-growing state but is a distant No. 3 college brand. If the Pac-12 wanted San Jose State, it probably would have had it today. Hawaii is a fun place to visit, but not much of an athletic presence and a tough commute.

The new Pac-12 could plant a flag in the state of Texas, but there’s no guarantee it can convince AAC members UTSA or North Texas to switch leagues. Texas State or UTEP would be more willing, but perhaps less attractive. It seems unlikely that Tulane, Memphis or South Florida would back out of what looks like a lateral, long-distance move.

The only certainty is that there will be more movement. Conference realignment never rests.

But today is a celebration of Pac-12 survivors and Mountain West strivers. And a day of mourning for the Abandoned Eight, the latest to have their ranks raided.