![]() ![]() News and World Report rankings - ahead of every continuing Pac-12 university except Stanford, Cal and Washington - and owns a substantial endowment ($2 billion).Īlso, the Mustangs recently unveiled a NIL program that compares favorably to any in the Pac-12. Why? Because SMU would expand the Pac-12 footprint into the Dallas media market and strengthen the recruiting pipeline to the Lone Star State. Add San Diego State, Boise State and Fresno State in all sports and SMU as a football-only member. 20) and brings a rabid following in California’s heavily-populated Central Valley.īoise State doesn’t fit the Pac-12 model in any form, except for its football success. Also, admission to the Pac-12 would keep the Aztecs out of the Big 12, which has designs on the West Coast.įresno State sits on the outskirts of the huge Sacramento media market (No. 27 nationally) and a crucial foothold in the Pac-12’s most important recruiting region. In addition, SDSU brings the San Diego media market (No. Why? Because those are the best programs in the MW. Add San Diego State and either Fresno State or Boise State as either full-time or football-only members. Here are three scenarios we believe the Pac-12 should pursue: It should consider kneecapping the Mountain West and getting creative with membership in both major sports. This time, the Pac-12 should take the lifeline tossed by the CFP presidents and adopt a more Machiavellian approach. The conference was passive last summer, opting against expansion as the Big 12 teetered following the loss of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. The most likely outcome calls for the 10 schools to unify around a medium-term media rights contract.Īnd if that’s the case … if the 10 schools coalesce … they should incorporate the reality of a 12-team playoff field into its strategic initiatives. Our view remains unchanged: Pac-12 survival is a slight favorite over Pac-12 extinction. In that scenario, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah would undoubtedly bolt for the Big 12 and, as we explained previously in a look at the future of the Power Five, the 107-year-old bastion of college sports on the West Coast would dissolve. ![]() Until the Big Ten definitively ends its predation phase, the Pac-12 remains vulnerable to losing at least two and possibly four members (Washington, Oregon, Stanford and Cal) to the league that was once its peer and partner. Meanwhile, the Pac-12’s existential crisis has entered its third month. They were previously conference brethren in the Rocky Mountain Athletic, Skyline, Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences.As conferences decide whether to expand and schools mull whether to switch leagues, the impact on playoff access has enhanced significance. ![]() Restoring Utah-BYU as a conference clash would be a boon. The Big 12 will include BYU among its four additions in July. Colorado is a former Big 12 member, and all four schools fit the identity of a conference that tilts to the Southwest and Great Plains. ∎ Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah state bolt for the Big 12, ensuring the Big 12's place among the nation’s top four conferences. Growing from two to four West Coast schools would offer late-night broadcast opportunities for media rights partners. With OU and UW on board, the Big Ten would boast the nation’s largest conference at 18 teams. To wit, it once hosted its conference basketball tournament in New York City. The Big Ten has been willing to navigate away from its hub and break into new regions. The Big Ten’s media rights pie is so lucrative it could afford to add a couple of seats at its table. ∎ The Big Ten adds Oregon and Washington, solidifying its Pacific Coast presence. Here’s an idea for logical maneuverings, if the Pac-12 unity pact wavers: ![]()
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