re: 12-team CFP: Potential candidates for an expanded Pac-12?

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Knowing this, where does the "new" Pac-12 fit into this scenario? If Oregon and Washington leave, do any of the above programs deserve AQ status if they manage to win the conference?

Or does the inclusion of these teams make for better football regardless?

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From a pure addition standpoint, SMU and San Diego State don't increase the football quality of the conference. Both teams were okay last year and have been solid G5 programs for the last decade, but the Pac-12 minus USC/UCLA versus the Pac-12 minus USC/UCLA plus SMU/SDSU aren't appreciably different.

In terms of AQ, whatever. It's the worst P5 conference if you remove USC and UCLA, but still better than any G5 conference with the Big XII poaching the AAC. The Pac-12 absolutely collapses if Oregon or Washington go to the Big Ten or two of Arizona/ASU/Colorado/Utah head to the Big XII since the remaining teams in that group will just follow suit, at which point it's definitely not a P5 conference but the new rules could be read as each P4 champion and the two highest ranked G6 champions which is dumb but not the end of the world.