Tag: pac-12 network

USC vs Nevada likely to be Trojans’ last football game on Pac-12 Network

#USC fans are planning to celebrate the end of Pac-12 Network. That’s the big milestone attached to the Nevada game.

We know this for sure: Saturday’s USC football home game against the Nevada Wolf Pack will be the Trojans’ last home game ever shown on Pac-12 Network. We don’t yet know as an absolute certainty that it’s the last USC football game to be on Pac-12 Network, but it’s more likely than not. This probably will be the last time any USC fan will have to endure Pac-12 Network’s limited visibility and accessibility.

We want to be very clear: The problem with the network is the lack of distribution and accessibility. The actual on-air product of Pac-12 Network is and has been very good.

We wrote:

“One of the especially sad dimensions of the Pac-12 Network story is that the product itself — what you saw on the screen, getting beamed into your home, if you did have access to the P-12 Net — was really very good.

“The problem with Pac-12 Network was never the production quality of a game or studio broadcast. All the people who were responsible for putting a good product on the air did an absolutely fantastic job. The network’s daily work gained industry respect.”

It’s important to make that clear.

Having done that, we turn to the reality that this will be USC’s final home football game on Pac-12 Network. USC fans will be throwing a party to celebrate this occasion. No, really: Tim Prangley, co-host of Trojan Conquest Live and part of the USC postgame show at The Voice of College Football, told us earlier this summer he would be marking the occasion at the Nevada game. It’s a goodbye bash for USC’s liberation from this national burden which has limited the program’s exposure.

See how other USC fans are reacting to the end of the Pac-12 Network reign of error, which is in many ways one more step out of the shadows created by Larry Scott and the Pac-12 CEO Group:

USC goes on Pac-12 Network this weekend while small schools are on ESPN

Want to watch #USC this weekend? You have to have Pac-12 Network. Want to watch UMass? Turn on ESPN. This is so dumb.

It is bad that the Pac-12 has died. USC playing Oregon, Washington and Utah is fun and interesting. So many of us who are fans of USC and fans of college football grew up with these West Coast rivalries and the familiar regional matchups against particular opponents.

Going to Corvallis to play Oregon State is regularly a challenge for USC.

Going to Seattle to play the Washington Huskies often felt like a main event for the Trojans going back to the late 1970s against Don James’ teams.

USC’s comeback win over Arizona State in 2005 is one of the most memorable games of the Pete Carroll era.

USC’s close win over Stanford in 2004 kept that perfect season alive.

We’re going to miss the Pac-12 in terms of the football memories and the Saturday nights against schools who might have hated the Trojans, but certainly enjoyed the challenge of playing USC as a fellow Western institution. We didn’t wish the Pac-12 died, but we — as USC bloggers at Trojans Wire — have expressed solidarity with USC fans who saw how amateurish and unprofessional the Pac-12 CEO Group was. Decisions were made that did not serve USC’s and the conference’s best interests, as everyone else in America now understands on a deeper level.

We all wished the Pac-12 made good decisions, but it didn’t. That’s why USC and its fans wanted to leave for the Big Ten.

In this final Pac-12 football season, USC fans can remind everyone else how bad this conference’s leadership truly was over the past several years. Just look at the Week 0 football schedule as a example:

Two months from today, USC fans will celebrate one specific thing

On September 2, #USC will play the last Trojan home game on Pac-12 Network. Fans are already planning celebrations.

Today is Sunday, July 2. That means we are two months away from a very special day for USC football fans.

On Saturday, September 2, USC hosts Nevada at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The game will be shown on Pac-12 Network. Because the Pac-12 television policy stipulates that a team must appear on Pac-12 Network as many times as the number of nonconference home games it plays, USC will fill its allotment of Pac-12 Network games on Sept. 2 against Nevada. That will be the Trojans’ second and last nonconference game of 2023. Their nonconference game against Notre Dame is a road game this year.

Maybe there is a slight chance that USC’s Sept. 23 road game at Arizona State or the Oct. 28 road game at California in Berkeley will be picked up by Pac-12 Network. ESPN and Fox might pass. However, it is unlikely that either game will be relegated to Pac-12 Network. Viewers want to see USC play this year. The Trojans will be loaded with talent and will be a preseason top-10 team. The Sept. 23 game at Arizona State will be a big game for the Sun Devils. That game probably won’t be stuck on Pac-12 Network.

The Oct. 28 game at Cal is a little more interesting. If USC has picked up a couple of losses by that time, the Trojans’ TV value could be diminished, in which case Pac-12 Network might pick that game up. However, if USC has no more than one loss heading into late October, the Trojans will still be in the College Football Playoff hunt. It’s hard to see a major network passing up the Trojans that late in the season.

It’s very likely that September 2 will be the last USC football game ever shown on Pac-12 Network. The guarantee is that it will be the last USC football home game ever shown on Pac-12 Network. This is because the October 7 home game versus Arizona has been picked up by ESPN/ABC/Disney. 

No other USC home game is a realistic candidate for Pac-12 Network.

September 2 will mark the end of an era to some degree, if not for all time.

USC fans are already planning parties for the occasion. We at Trojans Wire have talked to fans who will mark the milestone with great happiness.

If that doesn’t tell you how eager Trojan fans are to go to the Big Ten, nothing will.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696092289]

Significant USC and Pac-12 football game notes for 2023 schedule

The TV networks filled the first 4 weeks of the 2023 schedule. We have details on that for #USC and the #Pac12, plus other notes.

We have already noted one significant development from the revelation of early-season college football start times and television assignments. USC football is likely to be done with Pac-12 Network before Labor Day.

We wrote:

“This year, with Notre Dame hosting USC in October, USC is playing only two nonconference home games. The Trojans will have to appear on Pac-12 Network only twice, not three times.

“So, given the news that USC’s first two football games of the season will be on Pac-12 Network, the Trojans’ last-ever game on P-12 Net is likely to be on Saturday, Sept. 2 against Nevada at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time.”

That was hardly the only notable piece of news for USC fans and for Pac-12 football fans. With all the early-season television announcements, there’s a lot to keep track of.

We’re not going to list every Pac-12 team’s early-season games. We won’t mention the cupcake games against UC Davis or the Little Sisters of the Poor. We will, however, point to national television games or games versus SEC and other Power Five conference opponents.

Here are the details you need to know about USC’s and the Pac-12’s early-season football schedules in 2023:

Great news for USC football fans emerges from early-season TV reveal

#USC’s first two games in 2023 will be on Pac-12 Network. Why is that good? Those will be the last P-12 Net games in USC history.

The USC Trojans hosted Notre Dame in 2022. That was great. USC had not hosted Notre Dame since 2018, because the 2020 game scheduled for Los Angeles was canceled because of the pandemic. However, there was still a price for USC’s win over the Irish in the Coliseum: USC had to play three 2022 games on Pac-12 Network.

This is due to the policy in which a Pac-12 football team’s minimum required number of Pac-12 Network appearances is equal to the number of home nonconference games it plays. Notre Dame bumped that number of home nonconference games from two to three. Therefore, USC had to play three 2022 games on Pac-12 Network.

This year, with Notre Dame hosting USC in October, USC is playing only two nonconference home games. The Trojans will have to appear on Pac-12 Network only twice, not three times.

So, given the news that USC’s first two football games of the season will be on Pac-12 Network, the Trojans’ last-ever game on P-12 Net is likely to be on Saturday, Sept. 2 against Nevada at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time.

The last-ever Pac-12 Network game is before Labor Day? The rest of the season will likely be free of Pac-12 Network broadcasts?

That’s pretty good news.

The Pac-12 Network has been such an albatross and annoyance for USC football fans. The headaches will get out of the way early this coming season.

Next year, if USC isn’t on ESPN, Fox, NBC, or CBS, it will be on Big Ten Network, which is far more accessible on cable packages and tiers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696090378]

YouTube TV disaster in Celtics-Heat playoff game underscores limits facing Pac-12 in media deals

The YouTube TV outage during the Boston-Miami game shows that streaming services continue be unreliable. It’s a problem if the Pac-12 wants to go that route.

The Pac-12 has already tried to be the visionary conference, the league which did things differently and tried to carve out a different slice of the media universe.

Pac-12 Network was supposed to be revolutionary. We say “supposed to” because it never actually did change the game the way the Pac-12 hoped it would. Yet, at the very start, the idea attached to Pac-12 Network was intriguing and ultimately worth a try. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” as the saying goes.

The Pac-12 fully owned Pac-12 Network, meaning that all of its revenues stayed in house. None were shared by ESPN or Fox or other media partners. This was the Pac-12’s baby, its pride and joy. Internal production, internal management, internal control, internally shared profits with no middlemen or outsiders. The concept seemed great.

It just wasn’t executed well.

In 2018, it was apparent that the original revenue-keeping concept of the Pac-12 Network was not going to work out. The Pac-12’s inability to get on DirecTV limited revenue and essentially undercut the larger plan. It wasn’t worth keeping 100 percent of a much smaller revenue pie, within a context marked by millions of Americans with DirecTV not being able to access Pac-12 Network. That was when the Pac-12 needed to hand the keys to ESPN, share revenue, but gain the visibility it had lacked for several years. Larry Scott said no, and now here we are, with USC and UCLA about to depart for the Big Ten and the Pac-12 wondering how to survive.

Now we have new developments which — if the Pac-12 wants to be creative with a new set of media rights deals — represent an obstacle to George Kliavkoff.

Let’s unpack this story for you:

Have we seen the last USC football spring game on Pac-12 Network?

#USC doesn’t officially join the #B1G until the summer of 2024. Does this mean the #Pac12 will show USC’s 2024 spring game?

The 2023 USC football spring game is now history. This was and is the last USC football spring game to precede a Pac-12 football season for the Trojans, who will be off to the Big Ten next year.

Since the 2024 USC football spring game will lead into a Big Ten season, a natural, logical assumption will be that either Big Ten Network or Fox Sports (Fox Sports 1, maybe) will carry next year’s spring game from the Los Angeles Coliseum.

However, USC and UCLA won’t officially join the Big Ten until the summer of 2024. This is part of the college sports year and the academic — also fiscal — cycle which regulates college sports. When conference memberships officially change and teams officially join conferences, the transition point is usually at or near July 1. College sports cycles run from July through June, not January through December.

When you look at the Big Ten Network’s statement below regarding USC and UCLA, it would seem that BTN will not carry USC’s spring game next year.

Does this really mean that Pac-12 Network will cover a game — and a team — which leads into a Big Ten football season? Is that really going to happen?

It’s a fascinating question, to be sure.

[mm-video type=video id=01gxxqb237se8f39x8ah playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxxqb237se8f39x8ah/01gxxqb237se8f39x8ah-d7c4b87957e5b67be09bd9040cda886d.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091895]

USC avoids all Pac-12 Network TV games at Pac-12 Tournament

The really funny thing about this: It’s the second straight year #USC has escaped Pac-12 Network at the Pac-12 Tournament.

The USC Trojans can’t wait to go to the Big Ten. They are so ready to dash out of the Pac-12. It is therefore impossible to avoid chuckling or giggling at the reality that USC will completely avoid Pac-12 Network game coverage at the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament.

Conspiracy? Secret plot? No. It’s an accident of the bracket, the tournament schedule, and the television schedule … but it’s certainly hilarious if you’re a USC fan who is ready for a new conference.

The Pac-12 Tournament’s No. 3 seed plays the late-night quarterfinal on Thursday of Championship Week. That is and has been the regular schedule for the Pac-12 Tournament. The late-night quarterfinal is also a game which is not carried by Pac-12 Network. ESPN and Fox Sports 1 have alternated every year. This year, ESPN gets that game.

The second Pac-12 Tournament semifinal — the late game on Friday of Championship Week every year — is also a non-Pac-12 Network game. The championship game on Saturday is always a non-Pac-12 Network game.

The No. 3 seed avoids Pac-12 Network every year at the Pac-12 Tournament. Guess which school is the No. 3 seed this year? USC. Which school was the No. 3 seed last year? USC.

You can’t make this stuff up. Trojan basketball will have the most TV visibility of any Pac-12 team this week.

[mm-video type=video id=01gtkyr3c6r7xay4vmvy playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtkyr3c6r7xay4vmvy/01gtkyr3c6r7xay4vmvy-c952906256f4f2251439d344282299db.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091895]

Mysteries and lingering questions surrounding overpayment scandal as Pac-12 tries to sort things out

While we wonder if this scandal will have any effect on possible media rights negotiations, the first priority is to simply get answers to unresolved questions.

George Kliavkoff has had to clean up many messes left behind by Larry Scott and various events which occurred during Scott’s tenure. He now has another headache to deal with: the emerging overpayment scandal which happened under Scott’s watch.

News of this story broke a few days ago. The general timeline of events is known, but now all sorts of detailed questions remain unanswered, and the Pac-12 needs to get more facts to piece together how this happened.

Jon Wilner of the Wilner Hotline is asking the pertinent questions:

“What prompted the networks to seek the initial audit, by the “industry-leading” firm, in the spring of 2017? Was that simply part of a routine practice? Was there something amiss?”, Wilner wrote.

“If the overpayments were only for “each year since prior to 2016,” why did the distributor not step forward until October 2022? (Possible answer: The Pac-12 never came clean to the partner about the overpayments.)

“Did the overpayments continue after 2016, until the partner stepped forward in October 2022?

“We’re also left to wonder why Willman and Shuken didn’t take what the Pac-12 believed would have been appropriate steps once they learned of the situation. Did the overpayments lead to a revenue figure that somehow triggered performance bonuses for executives?

“’It doesn’t make any sense,’ said a Hotline source familiar with the Pac-12 Networks’ business operation. ‘Something is definitely missing.’

“The other question, of course, is the disclosure piece: Who else knew? Or did Shuken and Willman keep the situation to themselves?

“According to the Pac-12, Willman and Shuken failed to share ‘the ongoing financial risk associated with the apparent overpayment with either the Pac-12 Board of Directors or the Pac-12’s external auditors.’”

“That statement says nothing about whether they alerted former commissioner Larry Scott.

“Is that because they did alert him and Scott failed to act appropriately? Or because the Pac-12’s public disclosure on Friday was intended to focus only on the executives and process with current relevance?”

Wilner’s questions require answers. We will see how this story develops.

[mm-video type=video id=01gpxw3rxgs36dga2wcr playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gpxw3rxgs36dga2wcr/01gpxw3rxgs36dga2wcr-f4afb614e96529a0cdb90323376206d7.jpg]

[listicle id=55923]

How to watch, listen, stream No. 12 Oregon at Arizona

No. 12 Oregon heads to the desert to face an upset-minded Arizona team this Saturday on the Pac-12 Network.

The Oregon Ducks football team makes their second foray out on the road in conference play as they will go down to the desert to face a surprising 3-2 Arizona squad.

They were fortunate to be able to play this one at night and avoid that dry heat. According to weather reports, it’ll be in the low 70s at kickoff and drop down to the mid-60s as the night goes along.

Oregon hasn’t play at Arizona for four seasons and the last time the Ducks faced the Cats on the road, it didn’t go well as Arizona pulled off the 44-15 upset. Hopefully, Oregon can flip the script and get home with a big win, but the Wildcats, with former Washington State quarterback Jayden de Laura, have proven to be a better team than most originally thought before the season began.

When: 6 p.m. PST

Where: Arizona Stadium (50,600), Tucson, Ariz.