The Pac-12's geographic edge

So the SEC has more talent than anybody else. How is it that the Pac-12's only a step behind in quality? It's one part massive revenue, one part great coaching hires, and one part geography. Of the big three blue-chip recruiting states, California is the one that most belongs to a single conference. Florida is split between ACC and SEC schools. Texas is the Big 12's breadbasket, but its current recruiting chief is an SEC school, Texas A&M. Compare that to Cali, where only a small handful of non-West Coast powers (like Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma ...) can even hope to steal a five-star. Almost all of the Pac-12 is closer to the West Coast's hotbeds than schools from other conferences are; Nick Saban's coaches have to travel 2,000 miles to swipe from high school star-studded Los Angeles, but only 600 to invade longtime Big 12 stronghold Dallas. Plus the Pac-12 controls big metros elsewhere, like in growing Arizona and Washington. (And by the way, the map to the right? That's with conference flagship USC suffering NCAA sanctions.)