What’s going on with the Big 12 and Pac-12 reorganization rumors? We answer your questions

bounces from USC And the University of California Exiting the Pac-12 for the Big Ten continue. Big 12 company plans to to set itself To gather the most desirable Pac-12 members remaining, and turn the tables on how things were a year ago. Pac-12 will enact its own plan, but perhaps most importantly, it can stick to it Oregon And the Washington? Meanwhile, questions loom at the national level. While all eyes are on what Notre Dame You will, what will you do North Carolina? the athlete Employees dive into the latest developments for the reorganization.

The Big 12 on the offensive?

The Big 12 has been given an unexpected opportunity to cement its place among the Power 5 conferences. Its new commissioner doesn’t want to miss it.

League is in ‘serious’ talks with six Pac-12 schools ArizonaArizona ColoradoOregon Utah And Washington — and is intent on moving quickly, sources said the athlete. The 12th Senior Commissioner Brett Urmark, Just rented last weekhas been described as “extremely aggressive” by one source and has the support of the 12 senior presidents and advisors to continue adding Pac-12 members.

It’s unclear how quickly Big 12 could complete a deal on expansion efforts, but those sources have expressed optimism that Yormark could pull it off. CBS Sports first reported that Big 12 was in discussions about adding multiple Pac-12 schools.

Arizona State and Arizona State have long considered logical occasions for the Big 12 if these schools were interested in getting out of Pac-12. But the USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten made the Big 12’s dream even bigger. It is also eyeing Utah, the PAC12 football champion in 2021, and Colorado, a Big Eight and Big 12 member through 2011.

It is difficult to predict the aspirations of Oregon and Washington now. For both, it probably makes sense to keep their options open and hold out for the possibility Join Big Ten or SEC. The Big 12 will take those top four, but trying to bring in all six is ​​definitely worth a try.

“(Yormark) talked about making sure we were going to be aggressive, and not sit on our hands,” said one Big 12 athletic director. the athlete. “I’ve talked to some ads, and we think we’re in a position of strength.”

Yormark first met his adverts last Friday at a Zoom meeting, and many said he was impressive in his debut. He has been strong in his conviction that the Big 12 can thrive in this changing climate and they seem to have the right connections to help make that happen. It wasn’t supposed to officially go live until August 1, but Yormark embraces the opportunity to disrupt and know Big 12 can’t afford to sit back and watch this latest reorganization saga unfold. – Max Olson and Chris Vanini

What can the Big 12 gain from adding certain Pac-12 programs

Whenever a league has the opportunity to be a striker in a conference rerun, it usually requires it. Behind the clear tie Oregon and Washington, Arizona schools will bring the Phoenix Media Market, the eleventh largest market in the country. Colorado will bring Denver (No. 16), and Utah will cement Salt Lake City (No. 30) along incoming 12 senior members BYU.

It also makes sense from a scheduling and travel perspective, especially with BYU already in the fold starting in 2023. It would keep the Holy War going, and while sustaining or reigniting rivalries isn’t usually a major factor in any such move, it would be a nice by-product .

A source at one of the target schools noted that many Pac-12 fans don’t travel well, and the Big 12’s strong fan base is another factor that makes the conference interesting. idea of ​​existence Iowaor BYU or Kansas State Fans visit more regularly than many current Pac-12 schools might be attractive.

One Big 12 source noted that Colorado was “very volatile” in 2010 when she ran away from the Big 12 for Pac-12, seeking stability as well as potential West Coast exposure/registration. Perhaps this calculation looks a little different in the current college sports landscape – and Pac-12 does not include Los Angeles schools.

“I think a lot of things are possible,” said the source for the Big 12. – Nicole Auerbach and Vannini

How does Pac-12 respond?

Less than a week after the league lost its major schools, a Pac12 source said that the conference Works With a sense of urgency but not “panicking”. If one of the remaining Pac-12 schools suddenly received a call from the Big Ten or the SEC, the source said it would be enough reason for the rest to press the panic button. But the big 12? The source said that the current iteration of Big 12 is not an obvious yes. It might make sense for the Arizonas/Colorado/Utah unit to wait a bit and consider all the options, including whatever the Pac-12 can bundle together as a counteroffer.

One of the options worth exploring is some kind of partnership between Pac-12 ., the source said and ACC. (Just don’t call it an “alliance,” please.) Both leagues need a boost, as both are on the verge of falling behind the major Securities and Exchange Commission in terms of annual revenue. ACC is Stuck in a media rights deal Which is essentially depreciating and doesn’t expire until 2036 – would a deal with Pac-12 allow the ACC to renegotiate such a (bad) deal? It’s a question officials across the country are asking. – Auerbach

Could the Pac-12 end up regretting its inaction in 2021?

Less than a year ago, the Pac-12 could make a move. The new commissioner, George Klyavkov, received a lot of attention from the leaders of the 12 large schools who were looking to jump ship. It was all too easy to hunt down their sexiest members, put up a flag in Texas, and possibly put an end to the Big 12.

But for Pac-12, those schools weren’t attractive enough.

Instead, Kliavkoff pursued the option that his conference believed added more value at the time, partnering with the ACC and the Big Ten for their ill-fated alliance. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said at the time that they hoped the agreement would allow “a conference like Big 12 to discover their way forward.” The description of this merciful sounds a bit generous, but the inaction by Pac-12 to expand helped the Big 12 assemble and agree to bring in four new members.

The Big 12 survived because no Power 5 league wanted its eight remaining schools. The Pac-12 may not be so lucky.

“Shame on the Big 12 if they don’t do what Pac-12 wasn’t willing to do last year,” said one 5 AD member. the athlete.

This does not mean that Pac-12 would have avoided its current problems by raiding the Big 12. Even if the USC and UCLA supported the expansion (and sources believe they were not), such a move would not prevent them from rushing for a better deal in the Big Ten.

But it was a moment in time when the Pac-12 could knock a competitor out of the market and create the Power 4.

The Big 12 can do the same now, although it wouldn’t be too easy to pull out. Nobody wonders if Arizona, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah add enough value to the Big 12 to be worthwhile. Its leaders want to be aggressive. They have experienced this delicate cycle of panic, fear and uncertainty, so they know how vulnerable the Pac-12 bosses are at the moment and how capable they must be to offer a good solution.

The wild card, of course, is Yormark. He has a lot to learn about this scene, and he has to do it ASAP. Yormark has over 30 years of experience in professional sports, not college. He does not have long relations with these commissioners. Maybe that helps. He does not owe them to be colleagues. The Big 12 has passed enough to know that doing nothing can be costly. – Olson

Why is the Pac-12 open to media rights negotiations now?

Buck 12 announced on Tuesday that its Board of Directors “authorized the Conference to immediately begin negotiations on the following media rights agreements”. The timing attracted attention, but sources inside and outside the Pac-12 seem to think it made sense. Pac-12, with its current deal until 2024, needs to do anything and everything in its power to maintain its existence, and believes going to media partners and getting their evaluation will help.

Or maybe you can play on a merger or partnership.

If you’re from Arizona or Colorado, wouldn’t you want all the facts and figures before deciding to jump into another league? It’s useful information that may recommit current Pac-12 members to one another. At least, that’s the optimistic view of the situation.

A more pessimistic view: Getting the numbers doesn’t change the numbers. Pac-12’s value to potential media partners has taken a hit, whether or not it can put a certain dollar number on it. – Auerbach

So, what about the best of the rest?

A former Pac-12 official put it in simple terms Tuesday: Oregon and Washington excel at anything the Big 12 can offer.

That’s worth remembering in all of this, as Big 12 and its new unrestricted commissioner are looking to hit first and include a portion of what’s left of Pac-12. While it is unclear what is duck and Huskies They might – and what real options they have at the moment – it’s safe to say that these two programs, more than anyone else, control the fate of the Pac-12 at the moment.

No doubt the Pac-12 is trying to get things going on its own – why would it release a statement saying it would immediately begin its media rights negotiations? – But this statement is likely to be too small to actually affect the current situation.

It also distracts from the larger questions posed at the national level.

What will Notre Dame do??

And perhaps just as importantly, what will North Carolina do?

Don’t underestimate the power of tar heels in all of this. While things have been relatively calm in the ACC country since last week’s UCLA and USC news, UNC remains the largest unnamed Notre Dame award. It’s a national brand – what other school is blue named after? Reputable academic reputation. It is the main school in the 10th most populous state – which happens to be the largest remaining state that is not currently in the Big Ten or the SEC.

Either of the two “second power” conferences can make legitimate issues as to why UNC should be added. Her former advisor (Carol Wohlt) is now the president of USC, the newest member of the Big Ten, which was run by a former Tar Heels guard named Jim Delany. In the meantime, the SEC could view the potential addition of the school as an ideal response to last week’s Big Ten move, while also doing little to upset existing league membership.

It has always been assumed that if schools are able to leave the Asian focal point – this Granting conference rights is still a thorny issue – And the SEC was interested in further expansion, the obvious candidates would be Clemson And the Florida, which has combined to win six NFL titles since 1981 and three since 2013. But North Carolina is well-respected in some SEC quarters. so it is Virginia, which on her face looks a better fit for the Big Ten. UVA is the leading university in the next largest state that does not have a Big Ten or SEC school. This could make him valuable to both tournaments.

If a package deal is needed to convince North Carolina to turn down the Big Ten (where it would be a perfect fit), the SEC might try to add a mix of brand strength, football success and academic standing while also populating its district map. Adding the four would raise the future Securities and Exchange Commission membership to 20, which would have seemed absurd a year ago. But nothing seems silly now. – Matt Fortuna and Andy Staples

(Photo: Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)