In addition, Schulz said, the Pac-12 headquarters’ relocation out of San Francisco cost more than anticipated. The Pac-12 Network overpaid about $50 million to the conference members, money which must be returned. More: Tramel's ScissorTales: Don't expect Houston's Kelvin Sampson to coach the Milwaukee Bucks
BIG 12 CONFERENCE COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS PROFESSIONAL
In Pullman, Washington, this week, WSU president Schulz announced that his school would place a “temporary freeze on all current & future vacant positions until further review, as well as a pause on non-essential travel, purchases & new professional development” because of “significant decrease in Pac-12 revenue distribution as result of overpayments from one of the conference media partners that must be resolved.” Count much of the Pac-12 within that crowd. The pandemic put most athletic programs in a precarious financial situation, and some have yet to recover. In men’s basketball, the Buffaloes have fared better with the Pac-12 than in Big 12 days but still have made just one NCAA Tournament since 2016. CU was 12-28 in conference play its final five Big 12 seasons and is 27-76 in a dozen Pac-12 seasons.
Since Barnett’s departure, Colorado has had two winning seasons, and one of those was a 4-2 record in the pandemic season of 2020. But the gridiron in the flatirons has been largely dormant since Gary Barnett left the coaching office 18 years ago. If Colorado, which also faces financial dilemmas with its athletic department, jumps, others are expected to follow.ĬU football has received a tremendous jolt from new coach Deion Sanders. Utah seems to be the most reluctant of the four-corner schools to engage with the Big 12.īut it only takes one school from the remaining Pac-12 to create a domino effect. The four-corner schools – Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah – are the Pac-12 schools most mentioned as Big 12 candidates.Īrizona, in particular, seems a prominent Big 12 candidate, with the Wildcats’ basketball tradition and Yormark’s clear interest in capitalizing on the conference’s prominence in hoops. More: Tramel: Big 12 basketball coaches ready to follow commissioner Brett Yormark's bold ideas A weekly late-night college football game from the West Coast is one of the few advantages the Pac-12 offers, and if the Big 12 gets such a corner on the market, it figures to enhance the conference’s brand both financially and promotionally. Securing four Pac-12 members would raise the Big 12 membership to 16 and give the Big 12 coveted presence in four time zones. The former has administrators scared, and the latter has coaches leery.Ĭould the Big 12 – with a television contract in hand with ESPN and Fox, through 2031 – capitalize? Network suitors are either asking the Pac-12 members to take a financial haircut on a new television contract, or proceed with a reduced distribution platform, heavy on streaming and short on traditional outlets. That’s becoming an increasingly difficult decision financially.
Since Southern Cal and UCLA announced their 2024 move to the Big Ten, and new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark went public with his desire to expand the league with westward members, the Pac-12 has seemed vulnerable.īut the prevailing opinion was that the Pac-12 members would find a way to stay together. Plus, CBS reported a couple of weeks ago that Big 12 officials were told by ESPN that the Big 12 would be one of three leagues (along with the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences) that ESPN would air in terms of a Tier 1 level.Īll of which casts further gloom on the Pac-12's financial future.
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