Mods, this is the offseason and I figured it might affect the NCAA landscape but feel free to move to Other Teams if needed...
So this is primarily about business structure, not conference alignment although I see the two as being very tightly linked. The reality is that Larry Scott screwed over the Pac-12 when they couldn't swing the Pac-16 deal (lifting CU, OU, OSU, UT, Baylor and TTU from the Big XII) and he further pushed them into a corner with a crappy TV deal consisting of 6 regional networks (Oregon/Oregon State, USC/UCLA, etc). Everyone has seen the tremendous revenue in leveraging an entire conference's inventory of games like the B1G and SEC have done. Even the ACC has made big strides and their attempt at legitimizing Notre Dame as a 15th member has been well received. That basically left the Pac-12 and Big XII, although the Dirt Burglar Conference still managed to make massive bank solely on the backs of the Sooners and Horns.
Being the smallest revenue Power 5 conference has put the Pac-12 in a bind and their geography isn't helping with potential candidates. Hawaii, Fresno, Boise State or BYU seem like possible targets, but they're lackluster (hello Maryland and Rutgers) at best. Historically, the Pac-12 has been snobbish about only inviting academic powerhouse schools and specifically about avoiding religious or private schools. USC and Stanford are obviously grandfathered in as private universities, but this has been a long-time barrier for the conference in considering BYU (religious) or Boise State (academics).
I'm curious if this will spark future expansion of the conference, and if so, whether the Pac-12 merely wants to keep pace with the other 14-team conferences.
If they keep pace, I have to think Boise State and BYU make the most sense. If they decide to go nuclear, I could see a new commissioner trying to take a second shot at Texas. With the perceived instability of the B1G, I have to wonder if they might consider some kind of Hail Mary option of Oklahoma-Texas-Nebraska-??? (BYU?) that would put the schools into an eastern division with Colorado, Utah, Arizona and ASU. It would restore the old Pac-8 as the western side of the conference.
While I don't particularly see Nebraska as a West Coast team (wave to Callahan and Riley, kids!) it's a really intriguing thought to get annual games with OU, UT and Colorado, plus we'd restore our old recruiting grounds in Texas and gain more footing in California and Arizona. From just a recruitment standpoint, I have to think that would be more advantageous than farming the Rust Belt for the same 8 kids that we have to fight over with Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State.
Pac-12 commissioner search: Presidents open to conference structure ‘seen in several professional sports leagues’
The job description posted on TurnkeyZRG’s website makes it clear the conference is open to a new structure and new ideas as it searches for Larry Scott’s replacement.
www.mercurynews.com
So this is primarily about business structure, not conference alignment although I see the two as being very tightly linked. The reality is that Larry Scott screwed over the Pac-12 when they couldn't swing the Pac-16 deal (lifting CU, OU, OSU, UT, Baylor and TTU from the Big XII) and he further pushed them into a corner with a crappy TV deal consisting of 6 regional networks (Oregon/Oregon State, USC/UCLA, etc). Everyone has seen the tremendous revenue in leveraging an entire conference's inventory of games like the B1G and SEC have done. Even the ACC has made big strides and their attempt at legitimizing Notre Dame as a 15th member has been well received. That basically left the Pac-12 and Big XII, although the Dirt Burglar Conference still managed to make massive bank solely on the backs of the Sooners and Horns.
Being the smallest revenue Power 5 conference has put the Pac-12 in a bind and their geography isn't helping with potential candidates. Hawaii, Fresno, Boise State or BYU seem like possible targets, but they're lackluster (hello Maryland and Rutgers) at best. Historically, the Pac-12 has been snobbish about only inviting academic powerhouse schools and specifically about avoiding religious or private schools. USC and Stanford are obviously grandfathered in as private universities, but this has been a long-time barrier for the conference in considering BYU (religious) or Boise State (academics).
I'm curious if this will spark future expansion of the conference, and if so, whether the Pac-12 merely wants to keep pace with the other 14-team conferences.
If they keep pace, I have to think Boise State and BYU make the most sense. If they decide to go nuclear, I could see a new commissioner trying to take a second shot at Texas. With the perceived instability of the B1G, I have to wonder if they might consider some kind of Hail Mary option of Oklahoma-Texas-Nebraska-??? (BYU?) that would put the schools into an eastern division with Colorado, Utah, Arizona and ASU. It would restore the old Pac-8 as the western side of the conference.
While I don't particularly see Nebraska as a West Coast team (wave to Callahan and Riley, kids!) it's a really intriguing thought to get annual games with OU, UT and Colorado, plus we'd restore our old recruiting grounds in Texas and gain more footing in California and Arizona. From just a recruitment standpoint, I have to think that would be more advantageous than farming the Rust Belt for the same 8 kids that we have to fight over with Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State.