College football expansion: Pac-12 running out of time on realignment, expert warns
The race is on for the Pac-12 to get a new media deal on the books soon in order to avoid having more of its members taken away by its competitors in the ongoing college football expansion and realignment process.
But so far, the Pac-12 is yet to find media partners that want to broadcast the games it has to offer, and according to one expert in the field, it may not.
Media consultant Jim Williams told CBS Sports recently that he believes the Pac-12 may not find partners to air more than half its games on broadcast or cable TV.
"Don't see how they get there"
"I'm at an absolute loss how NBC, CBS, ESPN, ABC, or Fox gets [Pac-12 football and other sports] to 50 [percent]," he said.
Williams, who has almost 50 years' experience building sports networks, added, "I don't know how anybody could sit there and assure you that, 'We're going to have that much on linear.' I don't see how they get there."
"Linear" in this case means those traditional TV networks you tune into to watch just about all college football and other sporting events, and which are still by far what makes the most money for conferences and their members.
There have been reports that the Pac-12 could move more into the streaming market, but its inability to attract interest from regular TV networks could signal that the conference is losing financial value.
Related: College Football Expansion: Which Schools Could Move Next
Why that's important
In the midst of all the expansion and realignment talk around the Pac-12, the heads of the two Arizona schools have gone public in their loyalty to the conference.
The statements made by Arizona president Robert Robbins are notable in that he clearly expects more than half of the Pac-12's games to be shown on regular TV.
But his comments also seem to signal that his school remaining in the conference depend very strongly on the conference's ability to get TV interest.
In remarks made this offseason, Robbins told The San Jose Mercury News: “It’s heavily dependent on [Pac-12]commissioner George Kliavkoff] and his team negotiating a good media deal for us to stay competitive. I don’t think anybody wants to leave. Why would you move for a couple million dollars a year more?”
Big 12 in pursuit
The Big 12 has been public in its attempt to expand to the West Coast and increase its exposure in the Pacific media markets.
Reports connected the Big 12's interest to the two Arizona schools in addition to Utah and Colorado, the latter a former Big 12 member.
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff took public issue with the Big 12's incursion into its territory, accusing that league of "trying to destabilize our remaining conference."
Big Ten also interested?
And it's not just the Big 12 that has been moving in.
Representatives from Oregon and Washington have already been in contact with Big Ten decision makers about a potential merger, though none of these interests have materialized into any formal offers as of yet.
Stanford has also figured into the Big Ten's speculated interest given the school's international academic prestige, its media market not just in the Bay Area but nationally, and its devoted sports following.
More: Former coach fears Pac-12 could collapse
More on college football expansion
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Coach thinks Pac-12 could collapse
Big 12 contacts four Pac-12 schools
Two schools respond to Big 12 interest
Pac-12 schools reacts to Big 12 rumors
(CBS)
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