While I agree that the Big12 is probably the only real option at this point I don’t think it’s going to save the program. Nobody is getting out of that conference. There won’t be a “next round” for schools in the Big12. In ten years the Big12 will be as distant from the SEC and Big10 as the AAC is from ACC now. It’s relegation pure and simple.
We’re trading the path the program has been on since 2003 for a position of stability. Stability because that conference will be an afterthought. It’s not going to be the third conference in a big 3. There isn’t going to be a big 3. The only way to get into the big 2 is to be associated with and be successful against schools that are on the big 2’s radar. The remnants of the ACC and the Big12 will become the middle 2. It’s difficult to get excited for that.
It could have played out so differently. Had USC not blocked expansion last year there would still be a chance for a “next round.” The Big12 did what they had to do and expanded but that expansion effectively ended the possibility of a “next round” for the schools in that conference. It will end the possibility of the “next round” for any school that joins that conference. I hope I’m wrong but we’ve all said over the last year that the Big12 is only stable because nobody else wants any of their schools. You are who you associate with unfortunately.
Probably not as a full member, but a “half member” or “associate member” of the conference or a contractual scheduling agreement – whatever language you want to use
Imagine the PAC extends an invitation for the following to Hawaii
- Scheduling Agreement where 8 PAC teams will play @Hawaii every year
- Hawaii will receive 1/3rd the media rights (so say $8M-$10M on a $24M-$30M/yr/school deal)
- PAC will have rights to all (home) Hawaii games (both those 8 with PAC teams and any others Hawaii happens to play)
From the Hawaii perspective, it’s a huge win
- Money: They go from making $4M/yr (MWC) to making $8M+/yr. Plus they have (minimum) 8 home games against P5 opponents – nice for tickets/concessions and reduced travel costs
- Prestige/Visibility: Increased quality of competition and a better ‘in’ to potentially become a full member
- Other 4 games per year can fairly easily be filled, especially since they don’t NEED more home games (could even take away paycheck games for more $$$
From the PAC perspective, it’s likely also a win, mostly by taking advantage of the Hawaii rule (allows teams that play @Hawaii to schedule a 13th game)
- Money: They’re paying $8M to add (a minimum of) 8 extra games of inventory (plus they’d own whatever extra home games Hawaii schedules), so would likely make that up (and much more) in any negotiation
- Extra practice time: teams can’t officially start practice until 4 weeks before their first game – with 8 PAC teams now having a Week 0 game, that means an extra week of practice
- Visibility: With 8 PAC teams playing in Week 0, the PAC could dominate the viewership in that week with unopposed football and shine a spotlight on the conference to open the season. For one week every college football fan would basically be watching a PAC game and every station would have almost nothing besides PAC games to show
- Recruiting: Would mean players get a trip to Hawaii regularly. People like going to Hawaii. Not huge, but a nice perk. More importantly, it would mean the only teams playing in Hawaii would be PAC teams so that would help PAC recruiting of Hawaii (and potentially other Polynesian islands)
12-member Division 1 Women’s Basketball Selection committee for 2022-23:
Lisa Peterson, deputy athletics director at Oregon
Beth Goetz, director of athletics at Ball State
Deneé Barracato, deputy director of athletics at Northwestern
Jill Bodensteiner, director of athletics at Saint Joseph’s
Jenny Bramer, executive associate athletics director at San Diego State
Amanda Braun, athletics director at Milwaukee
Derita Dawkins, assistant vice chancellor and deputy athletics director at Arkansas
Alex Gary, director of athletics at Western Carolina
Lizzie Gomez, deputy athletics director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Jill Shields, deputy athletics director at Kansas State
Todd Stansbury, director of athletics at Georgia Tech
Lynn Tighe, senior associate athletics director at Villanova
Yeah, I really don’t see the likelihood of Oregon/Washington going to the B12. They’d have to be pretty desperate to associate themselves with that crowd. The faculty for sure would go into full meltdown mode. Similarly the B12 would have to be pretty desperate to invite them in to be the full drama replacements for TX/OU.
I certainly hope the PAC can work things out, but I’m sure Utah will end up fine.
Time to move on until some REAL news beyond constant speculation finally arrives…
My totally uninformed opinion is that the four corner schools won’t reach out to the Big12 while Oregon and Washington are still in the conference. Doesn’t look like the Big10 is calling, so their options are limited. Some Big12 honks think they’ll go to the Big12, but I don’t see that happening. I think they’d go Independent before they associated themselves with Big12 schools. Or, try to reach out to the ACC and sign onto their existing GOR.
You bring up an interesting point about viewership issues with west coast college football teams. There may be a viewpoint that it doesn’t matter where the Pac12 TV deal lands, it’s always going to have viewership issues, so they might as well go where the money is.
If Apple is willing to essentially overpay for the Pac12 in order to gain the Pac12 Network infrastructure and monetize it, than the conference would be fools not to listen to their offer. Apple is one of the richest and most influential companies on the planet. And if the Pac12 was their product, you know they’d heavily promote it. That is not a bad thing.
At the end of the day, I just want to watch Utah play and make a few playoff runs under the 12 team format. If Utah makes the move to the Big12, I wouldn’t care. Just give me Utah football.
It’s funny reading on CB what they think will happen to the Pac-12. Sometimes I like CB because there are dudes who have actual insider info, but most of the time it’s just way too extreme, especially when it comes to topics of anything associated with Utah. They all think the Pac-12 is going to die, but if I’ve learned anything from reading CB and Utah message boards is that usually it’s something in between that will happen. So probably the PAC-12 will secure a television deal and the conference will live on comfortably and somewhat happily. I am curious though, are y’all feeling confident with the stability of the PAC-12?
Also, it cracks me up how CB talks way more about Utah than they do their own team. On this message board you rarely see anything about BYU.
I’m not originally from Utah so it’s pretty easy for me to admit that I’ve always associated “Red Rock(s)” with Colorado – thanks U2. And even after spending a bunch of time in Bryce, it took a few years before I finally made the association with the gymnastics team. Put me on the list of those who think mascots are unnecessary, and if you have to explain why something is your mascot, it has even less value.
Adrian Klemm hired by New England.
Not sure what if any impact it will have on the Utes, but looks like the Ducks will need to find a new OL coach, he was also the associate head coach and run have coordinator.
ESPN link
How can you associate that matchup with such a great album?
He never accused just one party of having flaws he just pointed out one flaw that one of them has. The funny part of comment is that it’s rather unclear about which it is, maybe that’s something to think on. I associate “calling people out” with the left, but it’s pretty undeniable that BYU is an abnormally right leaning university.
BYU @ 
Utah 
