The idea of the Big Ten and Pac-12 collaborating on a cross-conference scheduling format could already be fading quickly. With the Pac-12 waiting on the Big Ten to work with them on a scheduling format to provide cross-conference non-conference matchups for enriched television inventory, it appears the Big Ten isn’t exactly about to make a scheduling change to allow for it to happen.
According to a report from Bill Landis of The Athletic, Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith has suggested the Big Ten will stick to a nine-game conference scheduling model, which is believed to be the biggest hurdle for allowing for a collaborative scheduling strategy with the Pac-12. As suggested by Smith in the report from The Athletic, the Big Ten moved on fairly quickly from any discussion about football scheduling with the intent on moving forward with its nine-game conference schedule format.
“We thought that conference contests, from a TV partner point of view, were just as valuable,” Smith said in the report from The Athletic. “We decided to kind of walk away from that a little bit. That doesn’t mean it might not come back up … The value of The Alliance was just bringing together schools that think alike.”
Well, that stinks.
If the Big Ten has data that suggests more Big Ten conference games will net more rewarding financial returns compared to additional non-conference games against another conference, then it is difficult to argue why the Big Ten would be better off scheduling more games against a conference like the Pac-12 that may benefit more from having Big Ten games on their schedules. From a casual fan standpoint, however, one might think that games between Penn State and UCLA or Ohio State and USC or Michigan and Washington would have more value than an additional conference game against Northwestern or Illinois.
This may not necessarily mean the Big Ten won’t work with the Pac-12 and ACC in other ways. There could still be much to be gained through partnerships in other sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. But when it comes to football, it is clear the Big Ten doesn’t really have a need to change things up much. Like it or not, the nine-game conference schedule and massive media rights deals that go with it have continued to keep the Big Ten swimming in revenue that is on par with the SEC, while the ACC is improving and the Pac-12 is still lagging.
This may not necessarily be the end of a dream of future Penn State football games against schools like Oregon and USC and Colorado, but Smith is highly respected voice in the college athletics administrative world, and his voice does tend to be viewed as a voice for the conference. With that being the case, Smith’s comments are discouraging for anyone who was hoping to see future Penn State games against Pac-12 schools.
Meanwhile, we’ll still be holding out hope for a Big Ten-ACC Football Challenge, which would seem to work more seamlessly with each conference having n equal conference membership. Or, maybe the Pac-12 will stop waiting on the Big Ten and organize a coast vs. coast conference scheduling partnership with the ACC.
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