4/10/2023 0 Comments Big 12 conference teams football![]() ![]() Kliavkoff’s approach serves his bosses (the presidents) and his negotiating partners at ESPN, Amazon, Apple, etc. And at this point, the discussions are entirely at the presidential level - the athletic directors are not involved. The avoidance of leaks has been impressive, especially given the duration of the process. Presumably at commissioner George Kliavkoff’s direction, the Pac-12 has kept the details of its negotiations quiet and refused to respond to media reports suggesting the conference is on the brink of collapse. Why is the Pac-12 being so tight lipped about everything and allowing the Big 12 to control the media narrative? - is a fascinating subplot to the saga. In other words, the Power Five isn’t destined to become the Power Three. However, we wouldn’t dismiss the possibility of an alternative path featuring a merger of the coastal conferences and the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC remaining as they are. in a 10-or-12 team Pac-12 that doesn’t include USC than in a 16-team Big 12.) (That’s one reason the Utes are better off in the Pac-12: The best way to enhance long-term value is through playoff appearances, which are far easier for Kyle Whittingham and Co. Utah is the type of program that could raise its brand to the level necessary for an eventual move into the Big Ten or SEC. (Could that change by the end of the decade? Sure. ![]() Key point: Only five football programs not committed to the SEC and Big Ten carry substantially above-average valuations: Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, Clemson and Florida State. The Hotline has long thought the most likely future shape of college football featured the SEC and Big Ten with 20-to-24 members - after they pluck the premium remaining brands on the two coasts - and a third league of 24-to-26 teams that forms around the Big 12. If the Big Ten doesn’t expand, the chances of the SEC growing again are diminished, adding stability on the ACC’s side. In that world, the Big Ten doesn’t create a western arm (with Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford), and the Pac-12 members are willing to sign a grant-of-rights deal into the mid-to-late 2030s. That phase could begin in the late 2020s or early 2030s, at the start of the next media contract cycle for the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12. In fact, much of the Pac-12’s current calculation with its media rights negotiations is designed to set the conference up for the next stage in the evolution of college football. That said, the Hotline would not discount the potential for a merger down the road. The scenario feels too complicated at the moment, but Skipper is, well, Skipper. Is there a way to construct a merger that benefits ESPN in both value and duration? Perhaps. If it can pay a reasonable amount for the Pac-12 and keep the ACC intact, why agree to a merged entity that could be more costly? The SEC isn’t actively looking to add schools, but the dissolution of the ACC’s grant-of-rights might change the landscape.Ĭould it happen? A majority of the ACC’s 14 full-time members would need to approve - it might require a supermajority vote - because ESPN probably wouldn’t break the deal willingly. Meanwhile, North Carolina would be a candidate for both the Big Ten and SEC. Clemson and Florida State are unhappy with the revenue situation and would assuredly seek membership in the SEC. And if the agreement is broken, the ACC might collapse. We cannot see Oregon or Washington (or Utah, for that matter) agreeing to a grant-of-rights deal into the mid-2030s. The grant-of-rights is broken in order to force a shorter contract cycle and a renegotiation of the ACC’s current deal. The grant-of-rights remains in place as incoming Pac-12 schools commit to the partnership until 2036. So far, it has proven unbreakable.Īs we see it, there are two outcomes to a merger: That, not the media contract itself, is holding the ACC together. The ACC’s media deal with ESPN runs into 2036 and coincides with the grant-of-rights agreement that binds each school’s media revenue to the conference. And the concept of a bicoastal merger has been discussed (on the Hotline and elsewhere) since the immediate aftermath of USC and UCLA announcing their departures to the Big Ten. What do you make of former ESPN chairman John Skipper’s comments that the ACC and Pac-12 should merge and that would force a renegotiation of the ACC’s deal with ESPN? - Skipper addresses college sports realignment or media matters, we listen. (Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.) Send questions to and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line - or hit me on Twitter: Please note: Several topics related to Pac-12 media rights and expansion will be answered separately, in forthcoming articles. ![]() The Hotline mailbag is published every Friday. ![]()
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