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Conference realignment talk just can’t quiet down. Many thought it was over for a while after USC and UCLA moved to the Big Ten last year, and Notre Dame elected not to join the Big Ten.
But, it’s not over. Just last week, Florida State athletic director Michael Alford made some potent comments about what they need from the ACC financially.
One of the big issues right now is what is going to happen with the PAC 12. With USC and UCLA leaving, that makes the conference much less lucrative to potential media rights partners.
And, one Big 12 Athletic director thinks his conference needs to be ready to pounce on some PAC 12 teams that are looking elsewhere.
Here are more details, courtesy of 247 sports.
The Pac-12 Conference has yet to reach a new media rights deal as the 2024 expiration looms for its existing contract. Reports suggest the conference, which already lost USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, effective 2024, could be forced to rely heavily on streaming in order to land a new deal valuable enough to satisfy its 10 remaining members. Should the Pac-12 schools even reject that and begin to look for new homes, Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades hinted the Big 12 should be proactive in trying to lure some of those schools into the conference.
“I am certainly not rooting for the demise of any particular conference, but I am also looking out for what is best for Baylor and what is best for Baylor is a really really strong Big 12, and one that secures its future but not over just the next six years but beyond,” Rhoades recently told 356 Sports. “There is a short gain but also a long gain for this. It is dependent on what happens among the Pac-12. There may be movement if whatever media deal they are able to strike is not satisfactory. We have to be prepared for that and I think we are if that was to happen. Again, looking out for the Big 12, how do we strengthen ourselves.”
Man, more fireworks in conference realignment would be fun, even if it is bad for the sport overall.