College football realignment: Pac-12 commish fires a shot at Big 12
The latest phase of college football realignment has resulted in a wave of rumors surrounding the Pac-12 and Big 12.
Once upon a time, there was talk that the two conferences could merge, or at least forge an alliance of some kind that would bring them closer together.
After those talks fell through, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark went public by saying that his league is "open for business."
Now, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff is going on the offensive, firing a shot in the direction of the rival Big 12.
"With regard to the Big 12 being open for business, we haven't decided if we're going shopping there or not," Kliavkoff said at Pac-12 Media Days.
That's definitely a direct shot at the Big 12 for what Kliavkoff clearly perceives is aggressive talk from a rival league about poaching his conference's members.
Why the tough talk? Because he's sick of playing defense.
"That remark is a reflection that I've been spending four weeks trying to defend against grenades that have been lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12, trying to destabilize our remaining conference," Kliavkoff said.
"And I understand why they're doing it. When you look at the relative media value between the two conferences, I get it. I get why they're scared. I get why they're trying to destabilize us, but I was just tired of that."
USC helped kick off the latest phase in college football realignment
USA Today Images
The head of the Pac-12 acting a little defensive should be expected. This offseason, premier brands USC and UCLA announced they will leave for the Big Ten in 2024 in a bombshell move that will forever change the face of college football.
With them goes a ton of the league's prestige and all of its access to the coveted Los Angeles media market.
Just about the worst news the Pac-12 could get as it goes into its next media rights contract negotiations.
And just about the best outcome for the Big Ten as it negotiates its next deal, which analysts now project could be worth up to $1 billion per year.
The seismic shift in the new economic landscape in college football means that anything seems possible going forward as schools chase more TV money.
Which places extreme pressure on Kliavkoff and his negotiators to get as much as possible in the Pac-12's next media contract.
But it's highly unlikely the conference will be able to pull down anything like what the Big Ten and SEC are expected to make in the future.
Which means the larger Pac-12 schools could be looking for an escape hatch from this conference if they can find more money somewhere else.
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