Have you ever strolled past a sunglasses stall in Mexico and had a quick look?

Some might feature an “O” by the hinges. They could even say “Oakley” across the bridge of the frames, but deep down, you knew they weren’t the real deal, because authentic Oakleys don’t cost 500 pesos.

On closer inspection, these shades don’t quite resemble Oakleys at all. They’re knock-offs, and while they’re not suitable for looking at the sun, they only set you back 500 pesos. Even if they’re fake, wearing them might give you a sense of coolness, and perhaps nobody will notice.

But most of us definitely notice.

Those in the know refer to these sunglasses with a playful nickname: Foakleys, standing for Fake Oakleys.

That’s akin to the new Pac-Whatever. It’s just the Fake Pac-Whatever. Let’s call it the F-Pac-W.

This revived league may bring in Utah State, slap a Pac logo on its chest, and hope no one notices the imitation, but anyone who remembers sports legends like Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen, Bill Walton, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will recognize this conference for the farce it truly is.

Washington State and Oregon State may convince themselves they preserved the “Conference of Champions” while renovating their home. However, they didn’t save anything. The spirit of the Pac-12 faded when 10 members decided to leave for the Big Ten, Big 12, or ACC in either 2022 or ’23.

Wazzu and Oregon State could have found a more fitting place in the Mountain West. Instead, they turned their backs on potential Mountain West pals (too good for you, Wyoming!) and invited the rest to their rundown abode, giving it a new coat of paint.

This week, as the F-Pac-W scrambled for new members, it felt a bit desperate.

Oregon State and Washington State were texting everyone in their contacts, hoping for any response to have a prom date.

A two-member “conference” that’s scrambling to survive doesn’t have the luxury to be picky.

They got a few positive replies while schools like Memphis and South Florida left them on read, waiting for a better offer down the line. If the ACC eventually calls Memphis and USF, they might be thankful they waited; if not, they could regret their choice.

This Pacific imitation league might not be terrible, though.

It’ll be a neat little conference that will have some geographical consistency — a rarity these days. The league will showcase some strong Group of Five teams.

The same can be said about the Mountain West, especially in basketball.

The MWC secured six teams for last spring’s NCAA men’s tournament; four of those (Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Utah State) will join Oregon State and Washington State for this Pac reboot.

So yes, they have the makings of something decent. However, it had already existed under the Mountain West name.

Now, it’s half the Mountain West plus two wandering teams pretending to be something they’re not.

Slap an “O” on it, and it could be sold for the college athletics equivalent of 500 pesos.

The Delusional Thinking of Hugh Freeze

Hugh Freeze wins every game he doesn’t play.

Unfortunately for Auburn’s second-year coach, no one besides him cares about his victories in imaginary matches he’s conjured up.

In reality, his record stands at 8-9 at Auburn. If considering his final three games with Liberty, Freeze has won just eight times out of his last 20 games.

That’s poor, and as Freeze rapidly descends from his previous stature, he’s indulging in increasingly grand delusions. Recently, he stated on his “Tiger Talk” radio show after Auburn’s 24-14 loss to Arkansas,

“I mean no disrespect to Arkansas or Cal, (the latter of which also beat Auburn). I admire Sam Pittman. I wish him the best. But the hard truth is, if we played them nine more times, we’d win all nine.”

No, the hard truth is, Freeze lost to Arkansas on the scoreboard instead of in his imagination. Auburn’s 14 turnovers lead the nation, and their quarterback performance continues to be a weak point, as Freeze misjudged the talent at that position and declined to invest in a transfer option.

He’s only unbeatable in his fantasies.

Minds vs. Muscle in the Texas A&M vs. Arkansas Matchup

One of the coaches in Saturday’s Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game graduated from Penn. The other one didn’t.

Pittman, Arkansas’s coach, won’t make you guess about who it is.

“It’s clear which one of us didn’t go. That’s me,” Pittman, the friendly coach of the Razorbacks, joked this week.

Aggies coach Mike Elko has the rare distinction of being an Ivy League graduate now coaching in the SEC.

And Pittman? He a took a longer path to obtain his bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State in Kansas, where he played football and became an NAIA All-American.

“It took me six years to get my P.E. degree, what the heck,” Pittman quipped with a smile adding

It’s likely that Elko would come out on top in a spelling competition.

Pittman might be on the brink of losing his job again, but he appears to be having a good time.

Email of the week

Mike writes: About Tennessee’s surprisingly cautious play-calling during the second half against Oklahoma, do you think Josh Heupel may have chosen to hold back because he aspires to be the head coach there in the future?

My response: No, I attribute Tennessee’s conservative approach in the second half to the strong play of their defense and Heupel’s growth as a coach. In the past, Heupel might have focused more on gaining yardage and scoring rather than finding the smartest way to win.

Now, in his fourth year at Tennessee, he has become a more balanced coach. He understood that the Sooners’ struggling offense couldn’t score enough points unless Tennessee gave them the game. Therefore, he prioritized ball possession and trusted his defense. I believe this decision wasn’t out of sympathy for his old school but rather a realization of his team’s strengths.

Three and out

1. Georgia’s Carson Beck has NFL-level skills, but I’m waiting for him to deliver a standout performance that proves he’s capable of leading a national championship team. Beck has more capabilities than his predecessor Stetson Bennett IV, but Bennett stepped up in crucial games. He became a hero in Georgia’s victories over LSU, Ohio State, and TCU two seasons ago, helping the team secure back-to-back national titles. Beck is usually consistent and rarely has a bad game; however, great quarterbacks often need to make extraordinary plays to win a championship.

This Saturday, when No. 1 Georgia faces No. 4 Alabama, Beck will have an opportunity to demonstrate that he can be a champion quarterback before making a first-round NFL draft pick.

2. Oklahoma’s coach Brent Venables addressed the misunderstanding that the Sooners dismissed former star quarterback Dillon Gabriel to clear a spot for Jackson Arnold.

Arnold hasn’t lived up to expectations, while Gabriel is thriving at Oregon. Venables mistakenly thought Gabriel would head to the NFL last season. Instead, Gabriel surprised him by deciding to return for a sixth year, wanting to play closer to home.

Gabriel hails from Hawaii. How often could he be traveling home this fall? A flight to Hawaii from either Oklahoma or Oregon takes an entire day. It’s not as easy as transferring to a local university and enjoying a delicious homemade Sunday dinner.

“Closer to home” suggests that Gabriel viewed Oregon as a better team. And he’s correct in that assumption.

3. James Franklin has appealed to Penn State fans to bring their “White-Out energy” for Saturday’s match against Illinois, while Illini coach Bret Bielema remains unfazed by the color scheme.

“They’re going to be dressed, right?” Bielema remarked about the fans. “It’s probably going to be one color or another. I know they’re promoting a White Out energy, whatever that means.”

Bielema has never been shy, and now he has an undefeated team to accompany that confidence.

Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the YSL News Network.  Follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.