What’s next for the Pac-12 Conference and its teams?
Check out the latest updates, speculation, rumors, chatter and reports surround the future of the conference.
Click here for previous updates on the state of the Pac-12.
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Why Pac-12 expansion is more likely outcome than staying at 10
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News wrote: “We view survival as a 4.5-point favorite over extinction. That’s anything but an overwhelming favorite. If the conference holds together, there’s a reasonable chance it expands to 12 teams. Why? Because of inventory demands. As noted above, one of the Pac-12’s chief selling points is the ability to provide inventory for the late TV broadcast windows on both Friday and Saturday. To meet the inventory demands, it very well could need the additional games that the 11th and 12th teams would provide. And if expansion is the decision, San Diego State stands as the obvious call. Houston would be a first-rate addition, depending on availability. We aren’t privy to the documents signed by the university — and whether it would be subject to Big 12 exit fees.”
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Six schools the Pac-12 should consider adding in conference expansion
Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Borba included San Diego State SMU, UNLV, Fresno State, Boise State and Houston on his list.
He wrote: “Thus making it vital that the Pac-12 adds at least two more teams, but the optimal number would be six. Getting back to 12 is a must, but the conference needs to be on the offensive side of things for once and get ahead of the Big 12 and ACC when it comes to forming larger mega-conferences. The Big Ten and the SEC are already destined and in position to form their mega-conference, everyone else is playing catch-up. Now granted, there aren’t any teams out there that will bring the value and prestige that the conference lost with USC and UCLA, but more teams equates to more markets, which equals more money.”
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Pac-12 Networks: The rise, fall and future of a conference TV dream
The Athletic published a story about the Pac-12 Networks.
It included: “When the network hit television airwaves 10 years ago today, it was supposed to put the Pac-12 ahead of its peers in the media landscape and usher in a new era of revenue and exposure for the league. The ensuing decade has instead been defined by a string of public embarrassments: questionable strategy and spending by former commissioner Larry Scott, whiffed coaching hires by multiple football programs, apathetic fan bases and USC and UCLA’s stunning decampment for the Big Ten. But there’s been no greater poster for the conference’s issues than the network that started as a bold vision and endures as a cautionary tale. While the remaining Pac-12 members ponder their next broadcast rights deal, the network presses on with more questions than ever. Ten years later, DirecTV still doesn’t carry the networks — though it turns out the league’s own presidents once turned down that opportunity.”
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One reason Pac-12 can be optimistic about future football revenue
Trojans Wire’s Matt Zemek wrote: “Simply by moving inventory off Pac-12 Networks and getting a much more competitive price on the market through ESPN or a streaming service such as Apple, the Pac-12 is poised to make millions more dollars per football game for the life of the new media rights deal it will eventually negotiate. Let’s be clear: The Pac-12 isn’t adding value. USC being out of the Pac-12 obviously hurts the Pac-12’s ability to grow value. However, this is a reduction in lost value and lost revenue. The Pac-12 can claw back millions of dollars it was losing due to Pac-12 Network. It does mean more money in the coffers, but in a context of reduced losses, not outright gains.”
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Why Pac-12 administrators want to be part of Big Ten
Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire wrote: “A lot of Pac-12 administrators have Midwestern ties to begin with, but beyond that, the Big Ten has a lot of elite research institutions. Networking, mentoring, talent-sharing — these and other non-football factors were immensely attractive to Carol Folt, the president of USC. When we realize that she immediately shot down talk of Pac-12 expansion last summer, it becomes easier to see that she had her eyes on the Big Ten for quite some time. This thought didn’t just pop out of nowhere. It was in the background, and when Texas and Oklahoma moved to the SEC, that obviously opened the door for the Trojans to think about a big change.”
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What Pac-12 needs to do to keep some schools in conference
Pac-12 Insider John Canzano wrote: “I think the Pac-12 is exploring an incentivized payout structure for the programs that qualify for the NCAA Tournament and College Football Playoff. Won’t be surprised if the conference stops the practice of splitting those postseason windfalls evenly among members and gives the bulk of the payout to the programs that earn it.”
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Where Pac-12 TV deal stands
SB Nation’s Daniel Plocher wrote: “On brand with the Big 12, USC and UCLA will depart for the Big Ten as soon as the TV deal ends in 2024. A 12-year, $3 billion contract with FOX and ESPN is set to expire, and many people are questioning where they will be headed without two of their historic programs.”
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pac-12 expansion, realignment live updates, rumors for conference
