Pac-12 reportedly in final stages of media rights deal

College football is set to have another major announcement and it may come soon

The Pac-12 has been having to play defense for the entire past year following the departures of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. 

Conferences like the Big Ten and even the Big 12 who at one point had members pleading the Pac-12 to join, have now been on the offensive side and eyeing certain programs. The conference out West badly needed some news throughout the year whether it be in regards to realignment or expansion, but ended up becoming the but of every college football joke.

Over the past few weeks, CBS Sports Dennis Dodd has been persistent in mentioning that the Big 12 has been in contact with the four corner schools which has led to some major disagreements on social media. With some reports indicating that the four corner schools to the Big 12 is a done deal, and others having the Big Ten aiming for the flagship programs in the Northern states, we finally got signs of a pulse from the Pac-12.

According to a report by The State Press, Arizona State president Michael Crow, who met with The State Press on Tuesday, the Pac-12 media rights negotiations are in the "final stages" and that Arizona State is committed to playing in the Pac-12 conference. Crow explained the difficulties of the Pac-12's situation saying:

"We're close to knowing where we're going to be, and I think we're close to a deal," Crow said. "I think that the Pac-12 media rights became more complicated with the departure of USC and UCLA. The media rights became more complicated also, as things always do because markets go like this. They're up and down, up and down. But, we have fabulous sports teams and the remaining teams, we're going to get a good offer. We're in the final stages of that process."

This news bodes well for the Pac-12 in terms of continuity, and it also bodes well for programs such as San Diego State and SMU who are expected to be future members of the conference.