The Pac-12 conference put the rest of the college football world on notice Tuesday morning, saying it would immediately be going to the negotiating table for its media rights contract that expires in 2024.
A source within the Utah athletic department, though, said it was “blatantly false” that any of those schools were taking a meeting with the Big 12. Colorado and Arizona State also issued statements in support of the Pac-12 and its decision to start negotiations now.After USC and UCLA left, the future revenue projections from a media rights deal for the entire conference have dipped by nearly $200 million.
The Pac-12 could add teams from the Mountain West, like San Diego State and Boise State. But with both of those schools in smaller media markets, the added value to a media rights deal would not offset the loss of the two major schools. The better option, at least to this point, would likely be to merge the Pac-12 with either the Big 12 or the ACC. Pac-12 insider John Canzano reported the Pac-12 is actively exploring what a “loose merger” of the Pac-12 and ACC would look like.
Combining the existing media markets of the Pac-12 and ACC could be lucrative for ESPN in a negotiation. The ACC has schools in Boston, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. The Pac-12 brings in Denver, Seattle and Salt Lake City. But for that scenario, and most scenarios, the first step would be to keep the existing members in the Pac-12.
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