When the initial news came down that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins were planning to ditch the Pac-12 Conference for the Big Ten, fans of the Oregon Ducks were likely starting to wonder where they might be headed soon.
Even here at Ducks Wire, we were lining up potential landing spots for Oregon, and predicting where each team in the Pac-12 might end up with the conference seemingly headed for the metaphorical iceberg.
That hasn’t happened yet. While there are still talks about potential conference realignment, everything is moving at a slower pace than I think many people expected. At this point, it seems like what we thought would be a fire sale in the Pac-12 has turned into everyone standing pat and waiting for the top two teams remaining — Oregon and Washington — to make their next move.
What is that next move? It’s pretty unclear at the moment, which could be a bit unsettling for fans of the Ducks who may fear being left out of the big party. However, columnist John Canzano has a new report out that Nike co-founder and Oregon mega-booster Phil Knight is working hard to pull some strings in these negotiations.
Per a source in Knight’s inner circle: “The good news is Phil is working hard to determine the correct path forward and hopefully to determine also one that is viable. My guess is, his aspirations aren’t practical or achievable. But try to tell that to the man that has won most battles in his life that seemed out of reach.”
The man known as “Shoe Dog” didn’t pour a fortune into the UO athletic department eco-system to be left in the minor leagues. If I’m a Pac-12 member, I like that the Ducks (and by extension, Knight) are in this with me. But media rights revenue is only part of the issue in Eugene.
Will Knight be able to navigate his alma mater’s way into a super conference like the Big Ten or SEC? Seems like a long shot. Will the Pac-12 be able to form a partnership with the ACC and find a nice juicy television media rights deal in the process? That could be attainable.
Regardless of what happens, though, we can rest assured knowing that one of the most powerful men in all of sports is in Oregon’s corner, and doing everything he can to make sure that the Ducks are in the thick of things when all is said and done.
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