[SkiBum80]

Five stages of conference realignment

Denial - Rebuild the Pac/Go Independent/We'll be FINE
Anger - F*** USC, F** UCLA, F*** UW, F*** Oregon
Bargaining - Let's buy our way into ACC/How far is the Atlantic Coast anyway?
Depression - Stanford Athletics is DEAD
Acceptance - (Who knows? I'm still stuck on Anger)

F*** USC

Totally sympathize.
To relate to your WWII quote, USC and UCLA bolting was like Nazi Germany invading Poland.
The rest of the PAC was like Europe, trying to rationalize that the problem will be a one-off and is containable.
In hindsight is very easy to see that one thing leads to another and to another and pretty soon there's carnage everywhere.
But at the time, many like to believe the rationalizing because it is comforting and postpones having to do anything difficult.
Until it may be too late.

[SkiBum80]

Five stages of conference realignment

Denial - Rebuild the Pac/Go Independent/We'll be FINE
Anger - F*** USC, F** UCLA, F*** UW, F*** Oregon
Bargaining - Let's buy our way into ACC/How far is the Atlantic Coast anyway?
Depression - Stanford Athletics is DEAD
Acceptance - (Who knows? I'm still stuck on Anger)

F*** USC

Totally sympathize.
To relate to your WWII quote, USC and UCLA bolting was like Nazi Germany invading Poland.
The rest of the PAC was like Europe, trying to rationalize that the problem will be a one-off and is containable.
In hindsight is very easy to see that one thing leads to another and to another and pretty soon there's carnage everywhere.
But at the time, many like to believe the rationalizing because it is comforting and postpones having to do anything difficult.
Until it may be too late.