And Cal (on the rise) and Stanford will be in it next year.
And given that, it's appropriate to mention here that it would be no surprise to me if TVD called it quits after this season. Her incoming recruits that I know from NorCal are not anywhere near the level needed to maintain the Stanford tradition, and if Cameron Brink says goodbye, Tara could easily do so as well.
both Bay Area schools recruit well outside the state of California, so my guess is this move gives their respective recruiting a boost overall.
with 18 schools in the conference next season and 18 conference games, it should actually make for a well-rounded schedule. (same thing applies to the Big Ten.)