Tag: Pac-4

Pac-12 and Mountain West merger: Will it happen, and how will it happen?

The Pac-4 and Mountain West could merge, but will all Mountain West schools be included? So many questions exist.

Will the Pac-12, which is really now a Pac-4, merge with the Mountain West? A lot of people are talking about it, and it is a possibility. However, we have numerous headaches and questions to sort through.

Will Stanford University even want to be in the Mountain West? Start there. Stanford would definitely prefer to go to the Big Ten. However, does the Big Ten want Stanford?

Follow-up question: Does the Big Ten want Stanford enough to also invite California, or does the Big Ten want Stanford, but not enough to invite the Cardinal alone, without Cal, and then find a 20th member elsewhere (possibly Florida State or North Carolina from the ACC)?

Another big question: Does the Big 12, which reportedly is considering further expansion to 18 schools, want Oregon State? The Beavers would love to go to the Big 12, but the Big 12 has to want them.

These questions are the beginning of a long and difficult process for schools without a lot of leverage as a Pac-4 merger with the Mountain West is discussed.

There is significant backroom chatter surrounding this. We’ll give you a sample below, accompanied by reportage from the San Diego Tribune and reactions from people in both conferences:

George Kliavkoff failed the Pac-12, but especially Washington State and Oregon State

The #Pac12 died on Kliavkoff’s watch, but more than that, he failed to fight tooth and nail for two schools which deserved better.

George Kliavkoff was stuck and paralyzed at the very end. At least, that’s the conclusion we are led to reach in the absence of additional reportage or disclosures.

The Pac-12 had a primary media deal through Apple, a one-trick-pony package dependent on people buying subscriptions to drive up revenue. The linear television route through ESPN or Turner (TBS/TNT) did not materialize. Other outlets apparently weren’t part of the calculus.

Merging with the ACC or finding other creative plans didn’t rise to the forefront of the Pac-12’s fight to save itself. There simply wasn’t a Plan B, by all appearances. Unless new information comes to light, we are left to conclude the Pac-12 was shortsighted and caught flat-footed. The conference assumed the best instead of preparing for the worst, which is extremely bad leadership and administration.

All of this cost the Pac-12 dearly, but as we have said in recent weeks, not all schools were going to feel the brunt of this worst-case scenario to an equal degree. This was going to hurt some schools more than others.

Washington State and Oregon State were the two schools depending on Kliavkoff and the Pac-12 CEO Group the most. The leaders failed the Cougars and Beavers, and that point needs to be made very clear.

Let’s look at the national reaction to Washington State’s very unfortunate situation, made possible by bumbling and ineffective Pac-12 leadership:

Stanford going independent in football could happen and would make sense

Stanford women’s basketball needs a conference, but football could be indie. Here’s a schedule the Cardinal could create:

Stanford women’s basketball, an elite program for decades, needs a conference. Basketball teams need conferences to fill a majority of their schedule and participate in a conference tournament. They also need a conference for splitting and generating revenue. Football, however, doesn’t necessarily operate the same way. Just ask Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish aren’t going to the Big Ten. They don’t need to. Why would they split Big Ten TV revenue with almost 20 other schools when they have their own NBC TV deal and get every cent of it without sharing? Notre Dame can also customize its schedule. Given its national brand and identity, it can command top dollar. It is working well for the Irish, and it will continue to work well for them.

Stanford doesn’t have the brand Notre Dame does, but Stanford also has a brand that is more valuable than BYU’s. BYU was independent for a number of years before finding a Big 12 home. BYU played its own customized schedule much as Notre Dame did, but BYU was treated as a Group of Five team more than a Power Five team the way Notre Dame was.

Stanford would be treated as a Power Five team more than a Group of Five team if it goes independent in football — not as prestigious as Notre Dame, but more prestigious than BYU.

Below, you will find some reactions to Stanford being left in the cold with the other members of the so-called “Pac-4” after Friday’s Pac-12 bloodbath. After those reactions, we will present a 12-game football schedule Stanford could realistically produce as an independent, creating a mix of challenging games and attractive TV properties ESPN would pay for. (We refer to ESPN since Stanford going to the Big Ten would mean Fox exposure. If Stanford goes indie, ESPN would be its most likely broadcaster.)

Here we go: