Checking in on potential Pac-12 expansion targets
With reports that the Big 12 is making advances with their media rights deal, the Pac-12 is likely feeling the pressure to make advances in their next stages of media rights and expansion.
As explained by Pac-12 insider John Canzano who touched on expansion earlier in the week, the Pac-12 has an order of operations (shoutout PEMDAS) in terms of how they want to get things done. Canzano explained that the media rights deal goes first, and expansion comes second saying:
There’s also an order of operations here: 1) Media rights negotiations; and 2) conference expansion. The Big 12’s media rights negotiations are trailing the Pac-12’s by about a year. I think San Diego State will eventually land in the Pac-12 Conference.
This was of course was said before we learned that the Big 12 is on track to secure a new deal in a few weeks. There is now a whole new pressure on the Pac-12, because if the Big 12 is able to secure a better deal, Pac-12 teams may begin to peak over at what's going on in the Big 12 and consider leaving. Per usual, the Pac-12 is very private on where they are currently at in terms of moves, as the latest information that we received was that they are continuing to seek out a new TV deal that also includes streaming rights from a place such as Amazon or Apple.
Either way, if the conference wants to stay afloat, expansion is imminent. That is why I decided to do a midway check in on where the expansion candidates currently stand this season. However, I do want to note that expansion candidates are more looked at for the value they bring rather than the wins and losses they have right now. Expansion whether it is the Big Ten, Big 12, or Pac-12 is all about adding competitive teams that bringing in valuable markets. None of these schools will replicate the value lost in USC and UCLA, but they will help the conference in one of the two categories.
Let's take a look at how the potential Pac-12 expansion targets are doing so far.
