*** The Pac-12 Hotline newsletter is published twice a week. (.) This edition, from Dec. 11, has been made available in archived form and was updated on the morning of the 11th.
Shifting Landscape
Two thousand miles away and unrelated to COVID, news surfaced Thursday that could have a momentous long-haul impact on the Pac-12.
The SEC and ESPN announced a 10-year agreement that completes their all-in partnership.
To this point, ESPN has owned the SEC Network and carried a slew of SEC games. But the most valuable entity — the SEC ‘Game of the Week’ — has been on CBS.
Starting in 2024, that changes: All SEC football will be shown on Disney-owned networks.
That includes the ‘Game of the Week’ moving to ABC.
Itap a massive victory for the SEC. The GOTW property alone will reportedly generate $300 million annually, and because the conference has one media partner, it can set a higher percentage of kickoff times far in advance.
But the implications for the Pac-12 are significant, as well. From this vantage point, it appears the conference is in jeopardy of further marginalization in the college football media universe.
Here’s why:
On a typical fall Saturday starting in 2024, expect to see SEC doubleheaders on ABC — the first at 12:30 p.m. Pacific, the second at 5 p.m.
And while those showdowns are unfolding in prime viewing windows on broadcast television, SEC games will be on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
In other words, there won’t be much airtime available on ABC/ESPN for other conferences, at least not in the key windows.
That probably won’t be a problem for the Big Ten, which is expected to cut an all-in deal of its own with Fox.
But itap a problem for the Pac-12, in our view. By the time the conference negotiates its media deals in two years, all the best slots on the top college football networks will be filled.
I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities each week for night games on ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1. But itap easy to see the Pac-12 getting squeezed into the unappealing windows if it remains partners with the biggest media players in college football.
That could force a move to CBS or Comcast/NBC if they’re interested.
Another option: Move the majority of its football content to digital platforms like Apple TV or Facebook.
Or the Pac-12 could create packages of football inventory.
Commissioner Larry Scott earlier this week about the potential to “slice and dice our rights and reformat to the new business models.”
But that strategy would leave the Pac-12 on an island. Everyone else — and that includes the NFL, by the way — is going all-in with traditional sports media companies, which are creating new bundles with their broadcast, cable and digital outlets. (For example: Disney has ABC, ESPN and ESPN+).
Maybe the Pac-12 chops everything up:
— One or two night games per week on ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1.
— A package of ‘Game of the Week’ broadcasts on CBS in the primetime window.
— A collection of games on Amazon Prime or Apple TV.
Maybe that combination somehow hits the sweet spot, providing the Pac-12 with the needed cash and desired audience.
There is plenty left to play out prior to the start of negotiations in approximately two years, but this much is clear:
The premium broadcast windows on the most influential networks in college sports — the networks that drive narratives and engage fans and impact recruiting — are getting gobbled up while the Pac-12 waits for its turn at the table. — Jon Wilner.
Hot off the Hotline
• The chaos that has engulfed the Pac-12 in the stretch run was entirely predictable — no season born in a pandemic could possibly end with clarity and comfort. We outlined this weekend and next.
• The Pac-12 basketball season hasn’t started well. As we explored , missed opportunities in non-conference play are piling up.
• The latest focused on (but wasn’t limited to) UCLA’s new partnership with Jordan Brand and what it says about campus leadership.
• Our , with a dive into the USC-UCLA matchup.
• ICYMI: The attempted to lend perspective to the discussion about Colorado being slotted into the championship game opposite USC. Previous editions of the newsletter are available .
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Huddle Up
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• We’ll start with the huge news out of Seattle, where Washington is “well below” the number of scholarship players required and cannot make the trip to Oregon, .
• The Ducks don’t have many options for at this point in the week.
• The L.A. Times examined that helped USC and UCLA navigate the season. “The first call I made was to Martin,” USC athletic director Mike Bohn said of his counterpart in Westwood.
• Spoiler alert: Here’s in the USC-UCLA series.
• UCLA’s dominant performance is reminiscent of Chip Kelly’s teams at Oregon.
• Utah tailback Ty Jordan, one of the top freshmen in the conference, is making use of his .
• Colorado’s Carson Wells and Nate Landman have emerged as one of the Pac-12’s .
• The stakes this afternoon in the Territorial Cup. ?
• Third down for Arizona.
• Washington State quarterback Jayden de Laura didn’t play well against USC, but he handled not playing well .
• Cal coach Justin Wilcox : “Mid-30s would be beautiful. Maybe we’ll bring some long sleeves, maybe an extra pair of socks. It’ll be great.”
• Stanford will be at Oregon State, but not because of you-know-what.
• The Beavers will have Saturday after his one-week absence due to you-know-what.
• Colorado sophomore tailback Jarek Broussard: 2021 Heisman candidate?
• The Pac-12 should consider back a week, writes the Oregonian’s John Canzano.
• The Rose Bowl , according to many in college football. (Just don’t tell the Rose Bowl that.)
On the Hardwood
• Arizona State was in the second half by San Diego State, continuing the Pac-12’s string of losses against ranked teams.
• Details on of Washington senior Naz Carter, who violated the school’s policy on sexual assault. Twice.
• N’Faly Dante’s emergence in the post is and a bad one for the rest of the conference.
• Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang made this week and showed why Big Blue wanted him in the first place.
• Just for giggles: An has just four Pac-12 teams in the tournament — and none of them higher than a No. 6 seed.
• Not related to the Pac-12 but worthwhile nonetheless: Alabama coach Nate Oats and said what many others would not.
Medal Stand
Content on Pac-12 Olympic sports …
• The best conference in the country? “The Pac-12 has picked up where it left off last season,” . “Yes, itap early, but it can claim top-league status for now, at least based on how its best squads are doing.”
• The certainly support that view.
• Another milestone awaits Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, and .
• More on VanDerveer from a reporter who has known her for a quarter century: Pac-12 columnist Michelle Smith.
• Sixth-ranked Arizona is set up for behind Aari McDonald, writes Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen.
• An upset in Corvallis, where No. 15 Oregon State Utah’s Brynna Maxwell.
Looking Ahead
Whatap coming on the :
• Sometime Friday afternoon — hopefully early Friday afternoon — we’ll publish the Week Six need-to-knows. (The timing depends on being able to confirm that teams have cleared testing.)
• ‘Saturday Night Five’ is slotted for the usual window, ’round midnight.
• We expect the Week Seven schedule and championship game matchup to be unveiled Sunday morning, at the latest. The Hotline will have all the details.
• Also Sunday morning: My AP top-25 ballot.
The next newsletter is scheduled for Tuesday. Enjoy it? Please forward this email to friends (). If you don’t, or have other feedback, let me know: pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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