Was the pandemic the major cause of the Pac12 dissolving?

[UTE98]

So I was listening to the second podcast on Y-option. Y-Option podcast

Listening to Ashley, Yogi and Yammer talk about the demise of Pac12 Network something really stuck out to me. Pac12 Network let Mike Yam go in 2020, during the height of the Pandemic. Ashley, Yogi, Jim Thornby “the producer”, and Yam were talking about the building process of the Pac12 Network and referred to the Pandemic as almost the turning point where Pac12 Network started shrinking instead of expanding. Less forward thinking and more of a stagnation period. This got me to thinking, about the demise of the Pac12. Did the pandemic and how it was handled, thanks California, put the Pac12 at a disadvantage? Was that the beginning of the end. Utah only played five games that year, couldn’t have been good for revenue and viewership. Meanwhile, other conferences played a full slate. Was the handling of the pandemic a major factor in the outcome of the Pac12? Which is crazy if you think about it. First USC, UCLA, Cal and Stanford were limited by California’s handling of the pandemic. Then a few years later USC and UCLA bolt.

What do you think? Did 2020 and the pandemic start the dominoes falling for the Pac12? In hindsight I think it is reasonable to conclude it played a part.

BTW I’m loving the Y-option podcast. Just a good look inside Western football.

[Roy Rangum]

I think the real reason the PAC12 ended was because of arrogance of the University leadership for a lot of PaC members, and incompetence at the conference leadership level.

The members refused to acknowledge the changing landscape of college football and refused to make a deal multiple times when one could be had, and the leadership failed to provide leadership to the members (ie, convincing members they needed to make a deal).

[pedro]

Roy nailed it, and our AD and President were at the front of that line. Clearly over their head but acting like they knew what they were doing.

[High Uintas]

Blame assignment for PAC-12’s demise.

FOX: 60%
ESPN:25%
USC, UCLA, Colorado, Oregon, Washington: 15%

[Central Coast Ute]

I get your point. The only reason USC left was for a bigger pay day, and due to the pandemic, revenue for that year was bad. And yes, that’s because of California politics. In the end, it may have contributed to lower ratings, which in turn would have caused a lower offer from the networks. As much as I hate to say it, overall, I think it’s mainly because USC hasn’t been very good throughout the entire PAC 12 era. SoCal fans are very fair weather.
Funny thing is, the B1G almost went down the same path as far as the pandemic goes. Luckily for them, their biggest brand was from a state, and they had the leadership available to push for a full football season. Michigan wanted to take the California approach, but OSU wanted to play football. If this happens again, it will be funny to watch USC sit out while the rest of the league plays.

[Utah]

lol. No. The state of California, which economically is a powerhouse and in a lot of ways carries this country, did not cause the downfall of the PAC-12.

If California would break off from the USA, it would be the fourth most powerful country in the world. As much as some like to hold California up as the bad guy, they do a lot of things right.

The PAC-12 fell apart because USC sucked. And USC blamed everyone but themselves. Then the TV people wanted to consolidate, which they did by dropping OSU and WSU.

The next consolidation will come from the ACC/Big 12.

[Central Coast Ute]

If California broke off from the US, it would fall apart. We don’t even produce all of our own electricity. We wouldn’t be able to keep up all of our social programs and we import water because we’re afraid to build dams. SF can’t keep up with their electricity demands and the more people buy EV’s, the more pressure is put on the system. About 1/3 or more of the population would flee which would cause a huge economic slide.

[Charlie]

I agree California needs the US as much as the US needs California. California and the West Coast very much will need to make corrections, especially in education, to gain back their awesome previous advantages.

It may be hard to find the single or key reason for failure because their were several. However, I do agree that California mishandled Covid in a hurtful way and it played a part. Also playing a part was the lack of understanding that the East simply has an advantage in football. Maybe because their are more entertainment options in the West or maybe culture, but our side of the country is still catching up to the East side with support for football. This played a part in the arrogance of USC insisting that they be treated on par with the top of the B1G. I suppose historically that may have been the case at one time. But the Pac, top to bottom, simply did not have much chance at parity with the SEC and B1G. Washington tried hard to keep pace and in recent decades Knight has tried to buy Oregon into the elite class in an uncommon way. But the West, as a region, simply has more to overcome.

Next, the Pac schools that joined the B1G will feel the disadvantage of not playing regional schools. The majority of road games will be multiple time zones while other B1G schools will take turns with maybe 1 long road trip. The other B1G schools will not feel sorry for them and will delight in keeping them out of the top 4 or 5 spots. Time will show that the top 1 or 2 spots in the Big 12 or the Pac 12 if it still existed is much preferred than 4th place in the B1G. Being top in the West region should have and will again become the key goal for schools in the West.

[Uteanooga]

Cali coasts on the laurels of having the most advantageous environment in the country. Management is terrible.

[ProudUte]

The PAC 12 would still be alive today had the commissioner been proactive after the USC/UCLA announcement. The Big 12 commissioner took immediate action when Texas/Oklahoma announced they were leaving. This action kept the Big 12 alive.

What could the PAC12 done? They could have invited SMU and SDSU within a month of the USC/UCLA announcement. Instead, we messed around, waited for a better TV contract, and the PAC12 eventually imploded.

We could have remained a viable conference with the Seattle, Denver, Portland, Phoenix, and Bay area markets. By adding SMU/SDSU you would get a piece of the Dallas market and a piece of the SoCal market. It would not have replaced the loss of the LA market, but we could have been more viable than the Big 12 and possibly the ACC.

That is now water under the bridge. We are where we are and need to make the best of it.

Go Utes!!!

[Calgradutedad]

USC finally admitted that they couldn’t beat Utah consistently or win the conference consistently with the then current financial system so they needed BIG 10 money. And then they paid Riley a ton of money and still got beat by Utah.

[Central Coast Ute]

Yes, but with all of their faults, USC wanted to bring Utah along with them to the B1G so I am grateful for that.

[utefansince79]

Seems it was inevitable that the BiG and SEC gradually absorb the most desirable teams from other conferences.

Best we may hope for is eventually is a lot of the former PAC12 members (including Utah) are together in a western division of the BiG.

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