DuckzRule wrote:I saw that Brett McMurphy went on a radio show and apparently confirmed that the Big Ten is interested on adding us and that both sides are speaking.
I know this move may take a long while to get finished but at this rate it's very possible:
Dude, I'm just putting this out there as a reminder, believe nothing unless it comes from the actual mouth of someone high up in the pac12 or B1G. You're digging for something that nobody has any clue about and possibly spreading false info. Until someone from within the conferences says something, it's best to ignore this kind of stuff.
^^^^^ THANK YOU!
Until it comes from Kliavkoff or Mullens or Warren consider it nothing more than clickbait. Honest, these people are not going to talk to casual fans or for that matter a media person until everything is finalized and agreed to by the people that matter.
It has been said multiple times on this board that when stuff like this is going on Oregon athletics goes into lock down mode. NO ONE (of the very limited few who actually know what is going on) can talk about stuff. It's well known that anyone caught sharing info can lose their job. It happened to someone who talked way too much about the Willy Lyles/NCAA investigation years ago and it happened to someone who leaked the name of a coaching candidate after Mark Helfrich was fired.
greenyellow wrote:Some new wrenches in the works as the Big 12 has opened their media negotiations up now and the CFP is looking at expanding as soon as 2024.
I was waiting for this to happen. With the pac12 pushing up their media negotiations I kind of figured the big12 would do the same. There's no way they would put themselves in the same situation again and potentially being in the outside looking in. I expect this to lead to some major reshuffling once everything said and done.
I think Jon Wilner's take gives good perspective. Here is a long excerpt. I'm sharing this much because I'm thinking that some of you don't have full access to his material. Bottom line for me is, while it's not nothing, the announcement from the Big 12 is leading to some overreaction.
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The reaction from Big 12 country on social media was swift and predictable:
The Pac-12’s advantage is gone!
The Pac-12 is doomed!
We hate Texas!
Various iterations of this game have played out over the past eight weeks.
Let us count the rumors, reports, salvos and spin originating from Big 12 country — not necessarily from the Big 12 office itself — that have shaped the public narrative.
Each item carried varying degrees of accuracy.
— First: The Four Corners schools would meet with the Big 12 to discuss membership opportunities.
False.
— Then: The Big 12 had called off merger talks with the Pac-12.
Misleading.
— Next: ESPN would not offer a contract to the Pac-12.
Dead wrong.
— Now: The Big 12 is entering discussions with ESPN and Fox.
Nuanced … extremely nuanced.
Here is the full statement issued by the Big 12 office:
The Big 12 Conference announces it will be entering into discussions with its multi-media partners to explore an accelerated extension of its current agreements.
“It is an exciting time for college athletics and given the changing landscape we welcome the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. “The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations.”
Note that the Big 12 never says when the discussion will begin or how long this phase will last. Also, it never uses the most important word — negotiations — and it leaves the most important piece unsaid:
The discussions only matter if both partners, Fox and ESPN, are serious about doing a deal now and willing to put hard numbers on the table.
The statement is carefully crafted to avoid false claims but vague enough to create an information vacuum that can be quickly filled by assumptions and rumors — assumptions and rumors that further attempt to destabilize the Pac-12.
Just how serious is ESPN about negotiating with the Big 12?
The network offered the following statement to the Hotline:
“We regularly engage in conversation around the future with all of our partners, but to be clear, we have not opened the contractual negotiation window with the Big 12 at this time.”
Could the window open next week or next month? Perhaps. But until it does, the Pac-12 retains a strategic advantage.
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There's definitely more of interest in this piece/reaction from Wilner, but I thought this was helpful.
Pac-12 still has the advantage somewhat as they're much farther along in the process of negotiating a deal. They're out (or will be soon) of the exclusive window that ESPN and Fox have for negotiating a new deal and can now take it to media companies without current deals with the conference. The Big 12 can't negotiate with any potential new media partners until early next year. If the Pac-12 can somehow get Oregon and UW to commit to even a short grant of rights and then add a couple schools, the Pac-12 may still survive.
StevensTechU wrote:If they add six teams, who makes the most sense?
First stab -
San Diego State
Houston
Okie State
SMU
TCU
Texas Tech/Kansas/Anyone but Baylor
Why wouldn't we want Baylor? They're one of the best programs on that list. I'd take them in a heartbeat.
For better or worse, the PAC schools / presidents don't want any schools with religious affiliations.
Very "open minded" of them.
Well as it relates to Baylor they've got some serious recent history that makes me want to puke. Which is to say that Ok State is clearly the school along with San Diego State that I'd focus on. If you could get Texas Tech/Kansas you would have an amazing Basketball conference still while still hitting a few markets with 2 schools that have respectable football programs, 1 that doesn't and 1 that would likely become similar to Utah with the extra resources provided. If you're going to 6 then Houston and Fresno State probably get the nod
Pretty sure the ACC is stuck in their media deal for several more years, and would have to pay a ton to get out of it
Canzano and others have previously discussed a "loose partnership" between the Pac-12 and ACC that could exist without the ACC needing to break any of its contractual deals.
If there are any legs to these rumors, then it probably fits within this mold.
The ACC's deal is pretty favorable for ESPN so I doubt any merger would be made. The loose affiliation would likely be how ESPN intends to sell the Pac-12 on any new deal.
