If the Pac 12 we're to add teams like Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State, and Nevada, they would be in as good of shape if not better than the Big 12. Oregon is likely better than any Big 12 team and the new additions out of the Mountain West are every bit as good as BYU, Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati.
If the Pac 12 added teams from the Mountain West....
- Thread starter moralvictories
- Start date
oregon wouldn't crack the top 3 in the Big 12 most years
Iowa State beating Oregon in the Fiesta bowl was a 1 time in a hundred years sort of thing. Only B12 team that could beat Oregon consistently is Oklahoma and Oklahoma is leaving.
both oklahoma schools & baylor would regularly beat oregon.
it isn't 2011 anymore. oregon's run is long gone.
Oklahoma is leaving so that would only be an issue for a couple more years.
Oklahoma State vs Oregon would be a great matchup. However, I think Oregon wins about 60% of the time.
Baylor has had some good seasons lately but spent many years being bottom feeders alongside Kansas. Once Baylor loses their coach, they likely go back to the bottom of the conference.
San Diego State does quite well recruiting south of LA and with a move into the Pac 12, the Aztecs should be able to recruit LA with much better success. As for the other school to pair with them, Fresno St or Utah State would seem to make sense.
It won't happen but getting Gonzaga to compete in the Pac 12 would be a pretty good move as well.
It won't happen but getting Gonzaga to compete in the Pac 12 would be a pretty good move as well.
Stating the obvious, the most precarious of the big conferences right now is the PAC. They're in somewhat of an uncertainty hell because it's unknown if more PAC teams (ie., any of them except probably Oregon State and Washington State) will be poached. That uncertainty creates chaos for negotiating a new media deal. The B1G might still want Oregon, Washington, Stanford and Cal according to CBS rumors after the B1G media contract is concluded (by Labor Day). And the Big 12 might want all of them except Oregon State and Washington State if the B1G doesn't take any more.
If more poaching happens, there just aren't enough worthwhile teams (in terms of media eyeballs) left to add in order to keep the PAC as a major conference.
Last edited:
I've heard it said that for now, the SEC is perfectly fine with what it has compared to the Big 10. Two very strong eight team divisions. Even if the Big 10 expands to 20 by adding four more PAC 10 (or 12) schools, I sincerely doubt that the SEC's bargaining position with networks would be impacted in any way.
And would splitting the pot 20 ways instead of 16 be worth it for the Big 10? Impossible to say for sure, but I doubt it. At that point, the Big 10 in a way would be bidding against itself. The two major money players are Fox and Disney. And the Big 10 is a lock to be one of the two major conferences. So why add four schools if it's not likely to lead to significantly more money? Notre Dame's the only game changer out there for the Big 10.
Last edited:
I don't think the B1G will add more schools UNLESS the media giants ensure them it will be a good deal financially. So we'll see what happens. Some speculation by CBS that an additional tier of Pacific time zone games would complement the B1G existing package making it more compelling for the big media guys. There is more competition among the media for the rights as deep pocketed streamers start to get involved (eg. Apple indicated it now wanted to bid on the B1G package).
And who knows, there could even be more very creative ways to deal with the media packaging rights. For example, the B1G might be able to arrange something like the ACC has done with ND. They might agree to a certain number of cross-conference games with the remaining PAC members without having them as official full share conference members but also still negotiating a higher packaged media deal for them than the PAC could get on its own. Far out thinking perhaps, but the sports media world is changing.
Last edited:
Win/loss records mean little. It's all about eyeballs on the TV, and the West has a systemic problem. Regardless of large population centers, not enough people watch college sports. As Brett McMurphy said, it's the case for the western third of the country. Arizona is vulnerable school to a Big 12 offer. With UCLA and USC gone, along with Southern California, Arizona has no real allegiance to what is left in the Northwest. Their elite basketball program would thrive in the Big 12 with Kansas - current national champions, Baylor - 2021 national champions, Houston, West Virginia, BYU. If the money is there...they gone! Colorado? They may have no choice is Arizona takes off. If the PAC media deal get each school 35 - 37m, the conference may stick together. If they come in a 25 - 30m per school, and the Big 12 rings up Arizona and offers 40m...turn out the lights.
