Pac-12 expansion update, and media rights deal believed to be happening soon

The Pac-12 needs to make a move and some experts think that move will happen very soon

When it comes to expansion and media rights negotiations, the Pac-12 appears to be doing all of their work in the shadows, contrary to the Big 12 who has made their plans and presence known. 

I personally don't know if there is proof that either method is more effective in terms of negotiations, but I will say that the news about the Big 12 having a new media rights deal in the coming weeks should raise some concerns. The Pac-12 has consistently been saying or at least passively aggressively hinting that they do not fear the Big 12 at all, but you have to expect that the powers that be may have a fire lit under their you know whats to make sure they get a deal done before the Big 12. 

There has long been an issue with the Pac-12 media rights negotiations stemming from the losses of USC and UCLA. In the departure of those two schools, the conference lost its two most valuable brands, and now needs to convince ESPN, Fox, Apple, or whoever it may be that they still offer a valuable product. There was reportedly a huge discrepancy in price between the Pac-12 and ESPN, so the Pac-12 is now believed to be looking for a major T.V. deal that also includes a streaming service partnership with an outlet like an Apple or Amazon. Something that Pac-12 insider John Canzano touched on in his latest mailbag article saying:

I crunched some numbers with Bob Thompson, the retired Fox Sports Networks president, late this summer. I expect the Pac-12’s new deal will land somewhere between an average distribution of $33 million and $40 million per university, per year. Keep an eye on the streaming services (Apple, Amazon, etc.) though, as they could boost the payout.

He also provided a timeline for when he thinks that the deal could go down which was surprisingly much sooner than I expected, but as I mentioned earlier is a must considering how close the Big 12. Canzano confidently believes it could happen in the next couple weeks saying:

At this point, I’d be surprised if a streaming service wasn’t at least part of the plan. It feels like the Pac-12 Networks content is likely going to land on Amazon and/or Apple. I have adjusted my target date for news on this front to sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving. I expect the 10 remaining members of the conference will all sign on. They appear galvanized on that front. Beyond that, conference expansion looms. I expect the Pac-12 will add at least one member.

Regardless of when the media deal happens, the Pac-12 will have to expand the conference. I personally think they should add up to four schools, with programs such as San Diego State, SMU, UNLV, and Boise State being good places to target. Canzano touched on it a little last week, but even with all the uncertainty surrounding expansion and who is a viable candidate, San Diego State is a must add. He explained what they would bring to the conference in comparison to a program like Boise State saying:

San Diego State sits in a media market that includes 1.1 million households and geographic proximity to Los Angeles, where there are another 5.7 million TV homes. The entire state of Idaho has only 517,000 TV homes. For that reason, SDSU is in first position.

When he touched on expansion earlier, he said at least one member will be added, and I think we can pretty much all but guarantee that the member will be San Diego State. Again, they should probably add more in order to get the conference to a respectable amount of teams, but I feel very confident in saying that the Aztecs will be a future member. 

Aside from San Diego State, SMU needs to be a target for a multitude of reasons. For starters, the fact that they are in that Dallas Fort-Worth area, they would give the Pac-12 access to one of the biggest markets in the country. Dallas ranks as the No. 5 "Designated Market Area" with 2.7 million TV homes. For reference, San Diego State's market ranks at No. 28. They also would give the Pac-12 a Texas connection, which in terms of recruiting is one of, if not the biggest, hot bed in the country. 

Some might say that it doesn't make sense geographically, but it makes more sense than USC and UCLA being in the Big Ten. Not to mention, proximity has never mattered less. 

I will make sure to keep everyone updates on any media rights and expansion stuff that appears to really be ramping up soon.