What ESPN backing out of Big Ten negotiations means for the Pac-12
Just when experts and fans across the nation were calling for the Pac-12 to be put down after the departure of USC and UCLA, it seems the conference has a very legitimate chance at staying intact.
This became abundantly clear on Tuesday morning when it became official that ESPN backed out of negations with the Big Ten in regards to media rights. This means that the Pac-12 will not have to worry (as much) about the Big Ten poaching schools such as Stanford, Oregon, or Washington because without Fox and ESPN sharing ownership of the Big Ten's media rights, there really isn't a need for the conference to take more schools from out West.
With the ending of negotiations, it also means that the Pac-12 conference became that much more attractive to ESPN who will need college football programming, specifically for those late night slots. This also means that ESPN will have a better offer for the Pac-12 than they likely originally pitched during their rights negotiations, and while it won't be nearly as lucrative as the Big Ten it will still be better than before.
Another move that could also help bolster the Pac-12 and their leverage as a result of the deal between ESPN and the Big Ten not being made, is the fact that adding schools like a San Diego State and SMU can increase the amount of money the conference is worth in the long run. This was everything and more that the Pac-12 could have hoped for, and now for what feels like the first time in a while, there are signs of life.
Of course nothing is certain in regards to conference realignment, but we now can rest easy (a little) in regards to the Pac-12's existence, because at the moment they are about attractive as they have been this whole offseason after the realignment moves.
