Realignment 2023: Whither the Pac12?

[Zososoxfan]

I went diving for the old realignment thread, and its title says 2021, so I figured it was time for a new thread. As a fun intro, let's look back to the history of the modern conferences:

In the early 1930s, the college game continued to grow, particularly in the South, bolstered by fierce rivalries such as the "South's Oldest Rivalry", between Virginia and North Carolina and the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry", between Georgia and Auburn. Although before the mid-1920s most national powers came from the Northeast or the Midwest, the trend changed when several teams from the South and the West Coast achieved national success. Wallace William Wade's 1925 Alabama team won the 1926 Rose Bowl after receiving its first national title and William Alexander's 1928 Georgia Tech team defeated California in the 1929 Rose Bowl. College football quickly became the most popular spectator sport in the South.

Several major modern college football conferences rose to prominence during this time period. The Southwest Athletic Conference had been founded in 1915. Consisting mostly of schools from Texas, the conference saw back-to-back national champions with Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1938 and Texas A&M in 1939.[131][132] The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), a precursor to the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12), had its own back-to-back champion in the University of Southern California which was awarded the title in 1931 and 1932.[131] The Southeastern Conference (SEC) formed in 1932 and consisted mostly of schools in the Deep South.[133] As in previous decades, the Big Ten continued to dominate in the 1930s and 1940s, with Minnesota winning 5 titles between 1934 and 1941, and Michigan (1933, 1947, and 1948) and Ohio State (1942) also winning titles.[131][134]

As it grew beyond its regional affiliations in the 1930s, college football garnered increased national attention. Four new bowl games were created: the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, the Sun Bowl in 1935, and the Cotton Bowl in 1937. In lieu of an actual national championship, these bowl games, along with the earlier Rose Bowl, provided a way to match up teams from distant regions of the country that did not otherwise play. In 1936, the Associated Press began its weekly poll of prominent sports writers, ranking all of the nation's college football teams. Since there was no national championship game, the final version of the AP poll was used to determine who was crowned the National Champion of college football.[135]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_football

While most of the actual conference movement has occurred outside of the P5 conferences, the tectonic plates beneath them is shifting now. The Pac12 might not be able to get a TV contract, I don't know what conference Colorado is currently in, and who knows how much longer the ACC will be viable. I suspect we're going to end up with 2 major national conferences nominally under the umbrella of the Big10 and SEC, but it will resemble the NFL's AFC/NFC split.

I don't have the time to go into more of the current details, but things are happening people!

 

[AB in DC]

They're really doing this again? Sigh.

 

[canderson]

They're really doing this again? Sigh.

It's not ending until, like @Zososoxfan said, we get 2 conferences and everyone else is essentially a second tier.

It sucks but it's inevitable with the money. The one thing I think will be interesting is if the 2 main conferences outright pay athletes.

 

[yeahlunchbox]

Assuming that is the end game:

A. Isn't it just better for everyone to blow everything up now instead of this constant glacial move to the inevitable? I know with grant of rights and so on why it's not happening, but this is just ridiculous. Let's just get to where this is all going so everyone can move on instead of so many schools having this hanging over their athletic departments.
B. It seems like the Big 10 (mostly North) and SEC (South) model is pretty dumb and an East vs West model would be better.

This is where a real college sports governing body with a college football commissioner would be helpful instead of this haphazard way of doing things.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

It's not ending until, like @Zososoxfan said, we get 2 conferences and everyone else is essentially a second tier.

Why would it end with two conferences?

 

[canderson]

Why would it end with two conferences?

I feel we get a SEC and Big 10 super conference and everyone else is basically a below. P5 one that we know today.

 

[thehitcat]

I feel we get a SEC and Big 10 super conference and everyone else is basically a below. P5 one that we know today.

I think that's probably right. I had thought before USC And UCLA agreed to become part of the Big 10 that we'd have 4 majors each with 20 teams and 2 divisions. With some regionalism still involved. So call it ACC for the East, SEC for the South, Pac 20 for the West and Big 20 for the North. But maybe 80 teams is too many and it's going to be more like 40 and 2. With the Pac 12 splintering I can see the way being cleared for Florida State and Clemson into the SEC and Washington and Oregon to the Big 10/20 whatever.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

I feel we get a SEC and Big 10 super conference and everyone else is basically a below. P5 one that we know today.

That part I follow. But what gives you confidence that the heavyweights in those two conferences won't start looking around at the Northwesterns and Mississippi States and decide that a single Super Excellent Conference without them wouldn't be more profitable still?

If the trend is 6 > 5 > 2, why wouldn't that continue to 2 > 1?

 

[canderson]

That part I follow. But what gives you confidence that the heavyweights in those two conferences won't start looking around at the Northwesterns and Mississippi States and decide that a single Super Excellent Conference without them wouldn't be more profitable still?

If the trend is 6 > 5 > 2, why wouldn't that continue to 2 > 1?

Very well could happen - you'd have an east/west or north/south type thing. I can see that too. We'll have the B10 and SEC have to duke that out.

 

[grsharky7]

That part I follow. But what gives you confidence that the heavyweights in those two conferences won't start looking around at the Northwesterns and Mississippi States and decide that a single Super Excellent Conference without them wouldn't be more profitable still?

If the trend is 6 > 5 > 2, why wouldn't that continue to 2 > 1?

Conference realignment has really sucked a lot of the fun out of college sports for me. As a WVU alum this has been going on in some shape or form for the past 20 years. The constant shuffling of teams and consternation about where you and who you might be playing is a real drain. College sports were more fun when each conference had a regional identity. Someone mentioned this to me a few years ago before the latest round of movement, you have Pitt, PSU, and WVU all within 3 hours of each other and they belong to a Midwestern conference, a Southern conference, and a Southwestern conference. Things change though and the money is getting so great that this was inevitable I suppose.

Also, what fun is it going to be for the schools like South Carolina, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Missouri where yes you have a seat at the table, but you are so far down the latter you have almost no realistic hopes of actually competing for a conference championship most years and most likely never a national title? Same in the B10 for schools like Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue, etc. In the current SEC (not counting Texas and Oklahoma) it's been more than 60 years since a school outside of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, UGA, LSU, or Tennessee have won a conference title. Throwing in UT and OU, most of those lower tier schools are now even further away from the brass ring. The Big 10 is a bit better, but in the last 20 years only 5 schools have won a conference championship (Iowa, Michigan, MSU, OSU, PSU).

Eventually it seems like the top tier schools in the SEC and BIG plus schools like FSU, Clemson, UNC, Oregon, and Washington could go do their own thing and leave some the dead weight behind.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Conference realignment has really sucked a lot of the fun out of college sports for me. As a WVU alum this has been going on in some shape or form for the past 20 years. The constant shuffling of teams and consternation about where you and who you might be playing is a real drain. College sports were more fun when each conference had a regional identity. Someone mentioned this to me a few years ago before the latest round of movement, you have Pitt, PSU, and WVU all within 3 hours of each other and they belong to a Midwestern conference, a Southern conference, and a Southwestern conference. Things change though and the money is getting so great that this was inevitable I suppose.

Also, what fun is it going to be for the schools like South Carolina, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Missouri where yes you have a seat at the table, but you are so far down the latter you have almost no realistic hopes of actually competing for a conference championship most years and most likely never a national title? Same in the B10 for schools like Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue, etc. In the current SEC (not counting Texas and Oklahoma) it's been more than 60 years since a school outside of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, UGA, LSU, or Tennessee have won a conference title. Throwing in UT and OU, most of those lower tier schools are now even further away from the brass ring. The Big 10 is a bit better, but in the last 20 years only 5 schools have won a conference championship (Iowa, Michigan, MSU, OSU, PSU).

Eventually it seems like the top tier schools in the SEC and BIG plus schools like FSU, Clemson, UNC, Oregon, and Washington could go do their own thing and leave some the dead weight behind.

I get all of this and agree with it some, but the truth is that college ball has been a minor league for the NFL for years. The NFL loves it because they get older, stronger, and more experienced players coming into the league, and really don't have to subsidize it much, if at all (unlike the NBA D-League I imagine, but I don't honestly know for sure). Of course you have lots of high profile and admin jobs throughout the country, and they comprise real stakeholders in all of this, so they're not going to just freely give over control to the NFL.

You cannot fight progress/evolution, and really this might save college athletics as we understood them 25-30 years ago. What I mean is that we will end up with the major football programs that want to compete with each other at the highest levels and truly be the NFL minors (anywhere from 30-60 programs) and others joining/forming a lower division. As someone who loves world futbol and pro/rel, I think you might see some real interest in that second non-professionalized division if it reverts to a more regionalized competition.

Let's take the Big10 (sans UCLA and USC) for example, because I'm most familiar with it. Just based on revenue, there's a pretty clear top 8/bottom 6:

NFL minors: OSU, Michigan, PSU, Wisco, Nebraska, MSU, Iowa, Minny
Toss up: IU, Northwestern, Illinois, Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers

So while Illinois just had a great season and might want to continue dedicating resources to their football program, with IU, NWU, Illinois, and Purdue they could start a regionalized division 2. Cincinnati, Louisville, Mizzou, Iowa St, and a number of strong G5 programs could round it out, and I think people would watch that. In the South, that's even more true.

 

[SLC Sox]

There were a bunch of articles today about the Pac 12 media rights essentially stating: NOTHING NEW TO REPORT. The deal is still "close" and "worth the wait." There is optimism that it will be close enough to the Big 12 payout ($31M per team I believe?) to keep the conference together but we'll see. If not, I think Colorado jumps immediately, which will cause Utah, AZ, and AZ St. to follow, and from there the west coast disintegrates.

The Pac 12 media deal seems almost certain to be heavy on streaming which will either put them on the cutting edge or be a disaster. Time will tell...

 

[mauf]

Doesn’t the new playoff format virtually ensure the survival of four major conferences?

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/college-football-12-team-playoff-explained-date-more-to-know-cfp-format/gmkdzivaikrn4xba7c6p0ksl

The 12-team format will feature, in order, the top four conference champions, followed by some combination of the top six at-large bids and two highest-ranked remaining conference champions. Teams will be ordered based on the College Football Playoff rankings….

Of note: The approved format means independent FBS teams such as Notre Dame — and, less likely, Army, UConn and UMass — will never be among the top four teams, as they are not affiliated with any conference. Hence, they cannot win a conference championship. This also means no independent team will ever have a bye in the Playoff.

The top four teams will have a bye as seeds 5-8 host home playoff games vs. seeds 9-12. Following those games, the remaining eight teams will play each other in the current New Year's Day 6 bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, Cotton and Peach). Those bowls will rotate among the quarterfinal and semifinal games on an annual basis.

To be clear, that doesn’t necessarily mean four of the current P5 will survive. It’s not hard to imagine 16 teams from the B12 and P12 voting to dissolve those conferences, then forming their own thing.

But there are now incentives now for, say, Washington not to join the Big 10, or Florida State not to join the SEC. Which really wasn’t the case a year ago.

 

[SLC Sox]

That’s my thinking as well and why I’m not even interested in the Pac [10] expanding to 12 again. If they have a guaranteed spot in the playoff why water down your odds?

 

[Humphrey]

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/38032484/san-diego-state-remains-member-mountain-west-sides-resolve-dispute

Of course, the ESPN headline says "SDSU Remains Member of Mountain West", which implies they don't want to move to the Pac 12; however, the article says in so many words is they'd gladly go there in a couple years when the payout diminishes greatly.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

imo, I don't think an easier path to a bye in the playoffs will even be a speed bump in slowing down FSU or Washington from accepting an SEC or Big 10 bid. Do we think there are any schools like Penn State who would want to leave the Big 10 for the sake of an easier path to a bye? Of course not.

 

[Zososoxfan]

imo, I don't think an easier path to a bye in the playoffs will even be a speed bump in slowing down FSU or Washington from accepting an SEC or Big 10 bid. Do we think there are any schools like Penn State who would want to leave the Big 10 for the sake of an easier path to a bye? Of course not.

QFT. Money's way more important to these schools than the lowly incentive of being relatively more competitive on a national level.

 

[mauf]

QFT. Money's way more important to these schools than the lowly incentive of being relatively more competitive on a national level.

If money were the only consideration, Notre Dame would be part of the Big Ten.

Leaving aside Notre Dame, and maybe BYU, no one outside the P5 is going to decline an invite. Among schools already at that level, however, other considerations (e.g., branding) will be part of the calculus, even if cash flow remains the single most important factor. I offered Washington as an example of a school that might choose to stay put — the difference between P12 and B10 money might not be worth the loss of engagement with alumni and prospective students due to so many games being played at 9am PT. An easier path to the playoff (or even the CCG) could also be consideration, as schools derive a lot of direct and indirect financial benefits from those berths. It’s all about money, yes, but the TV rights check from the conference isn’t the only money that matters, even though it’s the easiest money to count.

 

[Zososoxfan]

If money were the only consideration, Notre Dame would be part of the Big Ten.

Leaving aside Notre Dame, and maybe BYU, no one outside the P5 is going to decline an invite. Among schools already at that level, however, other considerations (e.g., branding) will be part of the calculus, even if cash flow remains the single most important factor. I offered Washington as an example of a school that might choose to stay put — the difference between P12 and B10 money might not be worth the loss of engagement with alumni and prospective students due to so many games being played at 9am PT. An easier path to the playoff (or even the CCG) could also be consideration, as schools derive a lot of direct and indirect financial benefits from those berths. It’s all about money, yes, but the TV rights check from the conference isn’t the only money that matters, even though it’s the easiest money to count.

Isn't ND's NBC deal more lucrative than any conference payout? I realize that much of that value is tied to playing a lot of bigtime programs across conferences and having a national footprint, but even if the contract isn't as valuable as a straight Big10 or SEC share, I have to imagine the national footprint creates additional revenue as well.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

No, the NBC deal is not currently more lucrative (in fact, it's not close -- a quick google says ND earns about $22M all in with NBC + ACC compared to the ~$60M Big Ten schools receive). But let's see what happens after the NBC deal expires after 2024. Notre Dame will join a conference if it has to; they've always said as much.

BYU already accepted a P5 offer. Joining the Big 12 this fall.

 

[mauf]

Isn't ND's NBC deal more lucrative than any conference payout? I realize that much of that value is tied to playing a lot of bigtime programs across conferences and having a national footprint, but even if the contract isn't as valuable as a straight Big10 or SEC share, I have to imagine the national footprint creates additional revenue as well.

There can’t be anywhere near enough sports-related revenue to close the gap. There are broader considerations in play.

The University of Notre Dame enjoys the reputation it has partly because of the historic success of its football program.

Think about the schools with which Notre Dame competes — not in football, but as an institution: other elite Catholic schools (Georgetown, Boston College); other elite midwestern private universities (Northwestern, Chicago); maybe other second-tier private universities with national reputations (Vanderbilt, Rice, maybe USC). Notre Dame is disadvantaged geographically relative to all these competitors — South Bend is a vastly inferior selling point to prospective students and faculty. It’s also disadvantaged by its conservative reputation — most prospective students and faculty aren’t politically conservative, and even students who are politically conservative generally aren’t excited about single-sex dorms and an administration that frowns on college students having sex.

The football program has been a point of difference for Notre Dame relative to these other schools. I think the administration and alumni are concerned that if they join the Big Ten, their football program will turn into Northwestern or Vanderbilt over time. And because they are disadvantaged relative to those schools in other ways, I think stakeholders at Notre Dame believe this would lead to a gradual decline in the university’s overall reputation.

I don’t know if that’s a valid concern, but I believe it’s real. And I believe that if Notre Dame does join the Big Ten (or, less likely, the ACC) eventually, it will be because they’ve concluded that their independent football model is no longer sustainable — not primarily because they want to grab the bag like everyone else has.

 

[Humphrey]

And I believe that if Notre Dame does join the Big Ten (or, less likely, the ACC) eventually, it will be because they’ve concluded that their independent football model is no longer sustainable — not primarily because they want to grab the bag like everyone else has.

ND I believe was the last independent school with any semblance of basketball success (one Final Four, I think) to throw in the towel and join a conference.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

I think the administration and alumni are concerned that if they join the Big Ten, their football program will turn into Northwestern or Vanderbilt over time.

Oh, that's definitely the concern and it's definitely (imo) valid. But the worse fate still is to be left behind on the football field AND not get the Big Ten payout that Northwestern gets.

I think they'll be able to cut another deal to bring them back up to parity with the Big 10. But if they can't get close, they'll buckle, just like everyone else.

Of course, they would still have one other card to play: join the SEC instead of the Big 10. That's probably the move to make.

 

[Dan Murfman]

Colorado on the move?

View: https://twitter.com/petethamel/status/1684308770065641476?s=46&t=lRRJs5ySDY6Z8VLw05vTlw

 

[SLC Sox]

I'm surprised they aren't waiting to see what the Pac-12 media deal looks like first. Or maybe they got a preview and didn't like what they saw. CO is culturally more aligned with Pac-12 but geographically with the Big 12 so it's a complicated situation.

 

[Dan Murfman]

Maybe Oregon is bailing on the PAC.

View: https://twitter.com/mattprehm/status/1684337241605410816?s=61&t=mLlSRkfq4VtgCm4CvSpAPg

 

[Humphrey]

I'm surprised they aren't waiting to see what the Pac-12 media deal looks like first. Or maybe they got a preview and didn't like what they saw. CO is culturally more aligned with Pac-12 but geographically with the Big 12 so it's a complicated situation.

Did it ever feel like they were in that damn league to begin with? Pretty much a non-entity, unlike Utah whose football program clearly took a step up.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

The other Big 12 target that has undergone serious vetting is Connecticut. There's been significant conversation between the sides, and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's steadfast belief in the market, the donor support and college basketball being undervalued would align with the Huskies coming aboard. There's also a belief UConn football has turned the corner under Jim Mora after a 6-7 bowl season in 2022.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/insider/story/_/id/38078650/colorado-big-12-pac-12-college-realignment-next

 

[SLC Sox]

Did it ever feel like they were in that damn league to begin with? Pretty much a non-entity, unlike Utah whose football program clearly took a step up.

Totally agree, they were a non-entity except for a couple decent years in basketball. However, they are a big market that the Pac 12 is going to sorely miss. SDSU might lessen the blow but that is a whole other mess. Just absolutely terrible leadership for this conference.

 

[rmurph3]

I'm surprised they aren't waiting to see what the Pac-12 media deal looks like first. Or maybe they got a preview and didn't like what they saw. CO is culturally more aligned with Pac-12 but geographically with the Big 12 so it's a complicated situation.

Totally agree, they were a non-entity except for a couple decent years in basketball. However, they are a big market that the Pac 12 is going to sorely miss. SDSU might lessen the blow but that is a whole other mess. Just absolutely terrible leadership for this conference.

To the first point, they had been waiting for quite some time for the TV deal, and apparently got tired of waiting. Indeed, an absolute failure of conference leadership.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

I don't get the SDSU stuff, other than I guess they really want to be in Southern California. I know the broadcasters value volume, but seems like any MWC school is just going to dilute things and not solve the core problem (lack of east coast appeal). SMU makes more sense, imo, although I don't like that much either. I think I'd be desperately just trying to hang on and wait for the ACC implosion, at which point you can maybe stitch together a Pacific-Atlantic partnership that would be valuable. Of course, with Arizona and Oregon getting antsy, that's obviously much easier said than done.

 

[Humphrey]

I don't get the SDSU stuff, other than I guess they really want to be in Southern California. I know the broadcasters value volume, but seems like any MWC school is just going to dilute things and not solve the core problem (lack of east coast appeal). SMU makes more sense, imo, although I don't like that much either. I think I'd be desperately just trying to hang on and wait for the ACC implosion, at which point you can maybe stitch together a Pacific-Atlantic partnership that would be valuable. Of course, with Arizona and Oregon getting antsy, that's obviously much easier said than done.

I think it's going to end up like baseball, the National League has 3 West Coast teams; the AL three (even w/the move to Vegas); two or three of these programs will end up in each of the other Power 5 leagues (the Big 10 already has their two; and the Big 12 one) and the rest of the Pac 12 will merge w/the MWC. So Power 5 will end up being Power 4.

The pressing question I have is: which conference ends up with Bill Walton as color man for their hoop games?

 

[Awesome Fossum]

I think I'd be pretty surprised if the SEC pushes any further west, especially with USC off the board.

I think the best case for the Pac 12 is the bulk of their teams end up in a Big 10 super conference, anchored around their shared Rose Bowl history. Medium case is some sort of PACC Frankenstein's monster conference fighting for third place with the Big 12. Worst case is the fate of the Big East: the Big 12 pulls away more schools and the conference limps along as a Pac 8 including the likes of SDSU and Boise St while Oregon and Washington seethe and wait for the next round of dominos to fall.

That they're already apparently working on that worst case scenario says everything.

 

[rmurph3]

I think I'd be pretty surprised if the SEC pushes any further west, especially with USC off the board.

I think the best case for the Pac 12 is the bulk of their teams end up in a Big 10 super conference, anchored around their shared Rose Bowl history. Medium case is some sort of PACC Frankenstein's monster conference fighting for third place with the Big 12. Worst case is the fate of the Big East: the Big 12 pulls away more schools and the conference limps along as a Pac 8 including the likes of SDSU and Boise St while Oregon and Washington seethe and wait for the next round of dominos to fall.

That they're already apparently working on that worst case scenario says everything.

Wouldn't that really be 4th place (with the ACC solidly in 3rd)?

 

[RedOctober3829]

Rumors out there through my colleagues that Oregon and Washington are talking with the Big 12 about moving there. That would bring the B12 to 15 teams after this year. I think one more would join the Big 12 and I believe it would be either Arizona or UConn.

 

[mauf]

A lot of us figured we’d eventually go from 5 power conferences to 4, but I always figured the odd one out would be either the B12 (which I thought was the weakest conference with OU and UT gone) or the ACC (top programs are vulnerable to SEC/B1G poaching). Even without the two LA schools, I figured the P12 would keep on keeping on.

 

[Just a bit outside]

CU officially to the Big 12 for 24-25 per email. I have a kid at the school.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

Wouldn't that really be 4th place (with the ACC solidly in 3rd)?

No, in this world the ACC was gutted by the SEC/B10 and the PAC survivors are unifying with the ACC survivors to form the PACC.

 

[axx]

No, in this world the ACC was gutted by the SEC/B10 and the PAC survivors are unifying with the ACC survivors to form the PACC.

That sounds like a disaster scheduling wise.

 

[StuckOnYouk]

It is amazing when you look at some of the schools in P5 conferences that UConn is still on the outside looking in.
And now they have a shot again at an invite depending on how many more Pac schools jump.
0 or 2 and UConn likely gets an invite. 1 or 3 and tbey are likely shut out again.

 

[sgfeer]

Big12 commish Yormark is pushing UConn, the Presidents/schools are split, maybe less than 50/50. Arizona appears to be the next target, which would add to the B12 as a brutal BB league. Rumor is they want 3 more, so 2 after Zona. UConn would certainly toughen up the BB part even more. The question is, if Zona comes, does the PAC 12 lose 2 more with them fairly quickly.

 

[axx]

Big12 commish Yormark is pushing UConn, the Presidents/schools are split, maybe less than 50/50. Arizona appears to be the next target, which would add to the B12 as a brutal BB league. Rumor is they want 3 more, so 2 after Zona. UConn would certainly toughen up the BB part even more. The question is, if Zona comes, does the PAC 12 lose 2 more with them fairly quickly.

Sounded more like the G5 teams talk was mainly to scare the remaining Pac "12" teams into action.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/38084606/acc-continuing-look-possible-expansion-commissioner-says

 

[sgfeer]

Sounded more like the G5 teams talk was mainly to scare the remaining Pac "12" teams into action.

I hope so, Memphis and some of the other schools was not impressive

 

[bsj]

Big12 commish Yormark is pushing UConn, the Presidents/schools are split, maybe less than 50/50. Arizona appears to be the next target, which would add to the B12 as a brutal BB league. Rumor is they want 3 more, so 2 after Zona. UConn would certainly toughen up the BB part even more. The question is, if Zona comes, does the PAC 12 lose 2 more with them fairly quickly.

If AZ goes Big 12, would be shocked if ASU isn't one of the other 2.

 

[SLC Sox]

Pac (12? 9?) will present the media rights deal to the member schools this week. I am prepared to be underwhelmed.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/pac-12-commissioner-george-kliavkoff-set-to-present-media-rights-deal-to-member-schools-per-reports/

Arizona seems on the cusp of leaving for the Big 12, but it looks like as soon as the conference inks a media deal they'll try to grab SDSU and SMU for 2024 or 2025 and try to keep this sinking ship afloat.

 

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Outside of the Pac-12 mess, rumors are that FSU is going to announce an exit from the ACC, perhaps even by tomorrow. Contractually, they would have until August 15th to do so. Knowing about the Grant of Rights, this seems unlikely, but realignment has been and will continue to be crazy, so who knows?

Regardless of FSU, the ACC continues to do nothing, quietly. Are they about to strike and pick off Pac-12 members, such as Oregon, Washington, Utah and/or Arizona? Or stand pat and watch college athletics continue to evolve? Will the ACC be the P5's version of the Neanderthal? Jim Phillips has now publicly stated they have explored expansion but that seems like a PR response to the "do something!" criticism, rather than a genuine piece of news. If they do miraculously expand, does moving from 15 to 20 make sense with a West division?

Regardless of that speculation, we know that there are as many as seven unhappy ACC teams who want more revenue. Something has to eventually give here, whether its expansion or a donor-fueled exit of one or more of the current members.

 

[SLC Sox]

I can't believe I'm saying this because I have been very critical of USC and UCLA putting money over the student athletes in their move to the Big 10 and all the extra travel (although I'm not naïve, I know money drives everything now), but a PACC conference would be kinda cool. You minimize travel a little by having limited crossover between coasts and you create a pretty decent alternative to the bigger conferences. It's a pipe dream but fascinating to consider.

 

[Dan Murfman]

So Oregon/Washington/Cal/Stanford to Big Ten? Which should lead Zona/ASU/Utah to Big 12.

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-big-ten-has-begun-preliminary-talks-to-potentially-add-oregon-washington-cal-and-stanford-173934989.html

View: https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1686813029722112000?s=20

 

[Dan Murfman]

FSU wants out.

View: https://twitter.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/1686828556142157825?s=20