Stanford Bringing Down Pac-12 Helps Arkansas in Big Way

From new coach, possible transfers, to an extra playoff spot, Hogs have Cardinal to thank, not schools that fled failing conference

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Aug 7, 2023 2:06 PM EDT

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Things could have been different for Arkansas tight ends coach Morgan Turner. If vastly overqualified tight ends coach Dowell Loggains hadn't moved on for something more befitting of his resume, Pittman would have never called on him, leaving Turner stuck on a sinking ship in Stanford.

The Cardinal are one of four teams left behind in the Pac-12 with no TV deal and no money to raid the Mountain West at $34 million per team. To make matters worse, putting together a football schedule in less than a year without a true conference to guarantee several of those empty slots is pretty much impossible. No one suddenly has openings in their schedule for October and November. Considering Stanford has had a single sell-out in the past decade, what few games the Cardinal could pull together would be virtually unseen.

With options as an independent so limited on such short notice, the only truly viable option would be to join the Mountain West and hope games with Boise State and San Diego State are enough to squeeze a little extra cash out of a paltry MWC deal. If Stanford can perform well enough, it might find its way into one of three games on CBS or seven on Fox or FS1. The Mountain West has an opportunity to negotiate a new contract in 2026, which would give Stanford the chance to prove it can bring something of value outside of being good in a few minor sports.

Until then, university administrators would have to figure out how to run its athletic program with a $6 million payout. It's technically possible. It was big news in Idaho this summer when it came out that Boise St. turned a profit of $240,000 after drawing over $50 million in revenue. Of course, the Broncos have way fewer sports than Stanford to fund. There's also the impending fire sale that is expected once the next NIL portal window rolls around. It may feel a little wrong for Turner at first, but there will be players looking for him to call for a shot at continuing to play in a major conference.

And if the day comes when Stanford players come calling on the Razorbacks looking for opportunity, the university will have no one to blame but itself. After all, the fall of the Pac-12 isn't on USC and UCLA. Nor is it on the shoulders of Washington, Oregon, the Arizona schools, Colorado, and Utah. This is 100% the result of the Stanford's arrogance and actions.

As we documented extensively a few weeks ago, Texas was shopping for a new conference before Arkansas left the Southwest Conference for the SEC. It provided a bit of the fire that got former athletics director Frank Broyles on the ball to find the Razorbacks a home in a new conference. The Longhorns had figured out once teams were allowed to negotiate television rights that being stuck to Rice, TCU, Houston, and an SMU team fresh off the death penalty was a bad idea. Before reaching out to Arkansas, the SEC kicked the tires on Texas. However, Texas president Bill Cunningham and other decision makers agreed what is now the Pac-12 was in better alignment for the university's academic and athletic goals.

Everything was going as planned. The Longhorns were set to be the first domino to fall in the SWC just prior to the Razorbacks' swift courtship with the SEC. That is until Stanford forever altered the course of college football.

"As it turns out, that was not viable." Cunningham told Sports Illustrated back in 2016. "The Pac-10, we had a problem with the president of Stanford, who [in 1990] basically killed [our deal to join the conference] and then came back a few weeks later and said they'd really like to have Texas. We said, well thanks a lot. We'd taken all the political heat at that stage for [trying to leave the SWC], and I had no interest in going through that again."

With Texas A&M wanting to join Arkansas in the SEC, Texas held onto presenting the idea it was headed to the Pac-12 before what a merger with the Big 8 became a compromise with the rival Aggies. However, the Longhorns were pretty clear literally from Day 1 the Big 12 wasn't the end goal.

"If I had my way, we'd join the Pac-10," new university president Bob Berdahl reportedly said at the meeting that ultimately merged part of the SWC and with the Big 8. But, it wasn't his decision. Cunningham, who was now chancellor, had ultimate sway and the move by Stanford to block Texas had not been forgotten.

Shortly after Turner arrived in Stanford as its new tight ends coach, Texas and the Pac-12 were once again deciding whether something could be worked out, this time with Oklahoma and possibly Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in tow. It would have made the Pac-12 a viable conference for life. Yet, once again, conference leaders made a profound decision that would affect Turner's future. He would have to wait another 13 years before there would be a need to game plan how to get favorable match-ups against Longhorn and Sooner linebackers.

The excuse used this time was Texas couldn't come play on the West Coast because of the Longhorn Network, one of the more infamous network blunders in college sports history. If Texas wasn't going to give up its own network, then not only were the Longhorns not welcome to come, but everyone else was uninvited also.

The decision was praised out west, which shows how short-sighted perspectives are out there. This reaction from Jeff Nusser on CougCenter, a site covering Washington State, another Pac-12 team in left flailing around for a future, didn't age well.

The conference is a model of stability. You could say that hasn't always been a good thing because the conference hasn't been as aggressive as it could have been in the past, but in this case, I think leaning toward stability is wise. The ACC is panicking, so it struck first. The Big East is now panicking. The Big 12 is on the verge of either collapse or becoming some kind of zombie conference that will add a team or two that ultimately lowers its overall profile just to stay alive.
All the while, the Pac-12 just sits back and watches the carnage with everything it already wants in hand -- a football championship, an enormous TV contract, its own digital media network. Perhaps not taking on the football properties of Oklahoma and Texas puts the conference in a slightly weaker position a decade from now in media rights negotiations, but if that's the price to pay for not getting used like a cheap tramp by Texas until the Longhorns find a better deal, I'm all for patience.

Slightly weaker position a decade from now may be the greatest understatement of all time. Everyone wants to put the blame on former Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, but Turner is at Arkansas safely coaching a bumper crop of tight end recruits with the possibly bringing in more from the fall of the Pac-12 strictly because of his former school.

Even if Turner chooses to not bring in Pac-12 rescues this winter, Arkansas still wins. There is now one fewer conference requiring a guaranteed spot in the upcoming expanded playoff system. That means even more opportunity for the Razorbacks if Turner and Sam Pittman can somehow figure out a way to not drop four games by a total of nine points next season.

So, if Arkansas does find itself the final team to clinch a spot in the playoffs next year, Hog fans know what sign to make to hold up at College Game Day during the first round.
"Thank you Stanford!"