Canzano on KJR Radio: Pac-12 Jockeying to Retain UCLA

[HawaiiDuck]

Pac-12 jockeying to retain UCLA, John Canzano says on KJR Radio

247SPORTS.COM

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PAC-12 COMMISSIONER...

 

PAC-12 COMMISSIONER George Kliavkoff is seeking 2024 media rights bids in two forms: with and without UCLA as a member of the conference, John Canzano told KJR Radio hosts Jason Puckett and Jim Moore on Tuesday.

 

CANZANO POINTED TO Stanford head coach David Shaw as a reason for optimism for the Pac-12's future.

 

"David Shaw in particular, who said look, this is all going to correct itself. This is all temporary. USC, UCLA chasing the money. He believes geography will ultimately win out and that a decade from now it’s all going to end up unwound and there will be a Western Division, a Southern Division, and an Eastern Division,” said Canzano.

Edited August 5, 2022 by HawaiiDuck
added paragraph on Shaw

[David Marsh]

It would be hilarious if UCLA comes back into the gold and leaves USC trying to figure out what they should do.

 

Part of me thinks USC has the arrogance to believe they can be the sole West coast member of the B1G and they can still come out on top. 

 

The other part of me thinks they'll come groveling back. 

 

I think if UCLA stays in the PAC, then USC is going to embarrass themselves in some way. 

[lownslowav8r]

Maybe from a money standpoint having USC back would be good. However, from what I’ve read USC has been working to weaken the other teams in the PAC-12 as well as the conference itself in order to improve its own position, on and off the football field. Think of all the places you’ve worked where one person was constantly undermining the team. No matter how brilliant they are, are they really worth it or would the team/company be better off without them?

[Babyjesus615]

If we are looking at it strictly from a geographic standpoint, as David Shaw says; then the west coast is still in a weakened position compared to the Mid-west, Northeast, and Southeast. This will leave us no better off than the current conference structure from a TV media rights perspective either. The Midwest and Northeast (traditional BIG 10) would command the most leverage with respect to Fox Sports rights. The Southeast (do they even need to change their name?) wouldn't have to do a single thing different from what they are currently doing.

 

This would still leave the West Coast to fight for scraps as far as media deals and TV timeslots. The only thing we would potentially benefit from here is an expanded playoff format. This could at least create a situation where, if Oregon becomes the perennial west coast powerhouse, the west coast would have a seat at the table in most seasons.

 

It just seems like a power 4 conference "reset" based on geography leaves us in a similar predicament to what we are currently facing now; with regards to the respect the left side of the Rocky Mountains gets with football.

[NJDuck]

If UCLA actually stays in the Pac-12 I would expand.  Invite SDSU, BYU, Houston, before Houston and BYU gets tied up with Big 12.  Go after Big 12 schools.  Invite TCU, TT, OSU, Baylor.  If we want to go to 20 schools grab Kansas (basketball) or UNLV or FSU.  Or whatever combination works best.

 

Again, If UCLA stays, you will retain the LA market as well as the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland (Oregon's growing national brand), Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake markets. You are pulling in San Diego, Houston and Dallas/Ft. Worth TV markets with Baylor right in the heart between Dallas and Houston.  Waco is growing.  The conference spans across the Pacific, Mountain, Central time zones.

 

Geographically speaking it could still work.  Between ESPN, Fox and big streaming medias might muster financial windfall for the schools, make the conference strong enough to gain a place in the playoffs.  Again, we'd need as many big TV markets we can grab in these times zones to hopefully muster enough clout.  It would bring in around 30 million TV homes.

 

Again, who knows if it would work or be good enough.

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by NJDuck

[HawaiiDuck]

I agree that if USC wants to go to the B1G, then let them go.  I've been reading articles that say when the Pac-12 was thinking about expanding last year with Big-12 teams, USC President Carol Folt shut the discussion down.  So, it appears that the move to the B1G may have been contemplated last year despite Folt's assurances to Kliavkoff that USC was staying put.  USC is going to look out for USC and if they move to the B1G as the sole west coast team while UCLA stays in the Pac-12, I'm all for it.  

 

I also agree that if UCLA stays in the Pac, that we look at expanding.  San Diego State for sure to get the 3M households in San Diego, Houston, Texas Tech.  Maybe UNLV.  I'd be careful about expanding beyond 16 schools because I'm old enough to remember when the WAC expanded to 16 in the late 90s.  The superconference only lasted a short while because of the unwieldy scheduling and not enough money to go around.