No matter how many schools leave or how many months pass without a media rights deal, the sky never seems to be falling in the eyes of the Pac-12.
Colorado’s near-complete return to the Big 12 leaves the Pac-12 without one of its premier television markets and with only nine schools currently committed to the 2024-25 academic year. Nevertheless, one member of the Pac-12’s CEO Group remains optimistic that the conference can make a full recovery from the Buffs’ departure.
Pac-12 insider John Canzano reported the following on Thursday morning (subscription required):
The Pac-12 CEO Group has called a meeting for Thursday afternoon. The conference athletic directors will be included on the call. They’ll talk about their media-rights options. One member of the CEO Group told me they will “discuss the opportunity to ‘trade up’ through expansion given Colorado’s decision.”
Unless the Pac-12 can miraculously convince a Power Five school to leave its conference, there doesn’t appear to be many options out there to “trade up.” San Diego State and its formidable media market look to be the Pac-12’s best option for expansion, although the Aztecs bring far less to the table compared to Colorado. In June, San Diego State announced its intentions to leave the Mountain West but ultimately decided to stay — likely due to an inconvenient additional exit fee and the lack of an offer from the Pac-12.
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