ESPN's Pete Thamel Offers New Big 12 Realignment Scenario
Uncertainty continues to surround the Pac-12 as the conference negotiates its new media deal. Meanwhile, the Big 12 continues to weigh expansion options out West in the fourth time zone. On Monday, ESPN senior college football writer Pete Thamel put out a damning article surrounding the state of affairs in the Pac-12.
In the article, Thamel goes in detail about the Pac-12's PR blunders over the last few weeks. He describes the actions as "signs of panic" and an "advertisement of the league's weakness and lack of self-awareness." He continues by saying that the Pac-12 is "acknowledging that what it's attempting to sell networks isn't good enough with 10 schools" by exploring the additions of SDSU and SMU.
The purpose of this article, however, is not to recap the Thamel article. You can read the full article here. Rather, it is to discuss an expansion scenario that Thamel offered in the article. Thamel offered a new Big 12 realignment scenario that would be funded by Amazon and ESPN, and would deal the final death-blow to the Pac-12. Amazon and ESPN have been viewed as two of the Pac-12's primary suitors. Per Thamel, Amazon could "redirect" its dollar to "potentially to help subsidize potential realignment moves."
"Amazon has long been linked to the Pac-12 as one of its suitors. And its interest level has been viewed as a potential lifeline for the league amid a marketplace without many attractive open broadcast windows remaining. But it also could have the opposite impact if Amazon's dollars are redirected...Amazon could have outsized influence by putting its money elsewhere -- the Big Ten and Big 12 via a sublicense -- to help subsidize potential realignment moves." - Pete Thamel
In this scenario, the four corner schools (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah) would join the Big 12 and satisfy ESPN's need for games in the late-night window. Additionally, Amazon would become a streaming partner with the Big 12 instead of the Pac-12, giving Amazon a foot-in-the-door for Power Five football while reducing the overall investment.
A few dominoes would need to fall before this move would make sense for all parties. The first is the Pac-12 media deal. If Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff fails to deliver a more lucrative deal than the one signed by the Big 12, the odds of the corner schools moving to the Big 12 would skyrocket.
Long-term security is also an important part of the realignment puzzle. The Big 12 is able to offer the corner schools a long-term home while the Pac-12 cannot, at least not while Oregon and Washington continue to seek an invite from the Big Ten.
If Amazon decides to redeploy its dollars and fund realignment, it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has delivered on every promise he has made during his brief tenure. If Yormark is able to expand West, he will have fulfilled his three primary goals.
The proverbial Pac-12 ship continues to take on water. The longer the Pac-12 goes without a media deal, the more unstable the conference will become, especially as national outlets continue to write about the sad state of affairs in the Pac-12. The Big 12 has its future secured through 2030, and that could be enough to lure schools away from the Pac-12.
The future of the Pac-12 lies on the shoulders of commissioner George Kliavkoff and we won't have to wait long for answers. The next two or three months will determine the conference's fate.
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