If I'm in the PAC and I'm not Wazzu or Oregon State, I'm wondering why I'm in the PAC.
Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
- Thread starter ISUcyclones11
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One of the big problems for the PAC, and frankly something that could tamper value for the Big 12's poaching the PAC is that the late slot has lost a lot of value for two reasons.
1. Now you've got 2 west coast teams in the Big that are natural competitors for that spot. Now, not every home game for UCLA and USC are going to be in the late Sat. slot, but between the two schools they could certainly occupy a lot of those slots throughout the season. USC vs. most Big 10 and UCLA vs. the top several of the Big 10 are likely going to beat any game between current PAC members.
2. We've seen even the SEC get into that slot, and it seemed like as long as teams are only doing it once a season it is received fairly well. Between all the Central time zone teams in the Big 10, SEC and Big 12 you might see more of this.
The late Saturday slot is getting more crowded outside the PAC, and it's not just from USC and UCLA going to the Big 10.
Hasnt Fox said they were out for a long time? Since way back in the exclusive window, they said they were out? Everything I have heard since about the time the B10 contract was announced and the Pac started negotiating is that Fox was not interested in the Pac.
The problem with the late slot is.... its one slot. And mostly on only one network. ESPN is really the only one interested in that slot, and maybe FS1 but they have the MTW for that as well, and now USCLA as part of the B10 deal.
So really how much is 1 time slot worth for 1 network? That is the issue, sure it has value, but when only one network wants that content and only one is bidding on it, then the value is limited. And again you still are only talking 1 slot, 1 or 2 late night games a week at most, and then the value is further limited because most of the East and Central Zones wont watch, so ad rev and viewership is reduced, thus hurting the overall value.
As a conferences only playing card, the Pac using that late window as a bargaining chip is a really weak position. As another conference ie. B1G or Big 12 adding content in the late window, that is a strong bargaining chip, as they have all the other content to drive their regular deal, adding the late window is just a bonus to their normal content.
I have to admit I do like the idea of Iowa fans having to watch 9:30 PM Central kicks when they lose at USC or UCLA.
I am a late Saturday game nutball, and I can tell you that there is room for more than one decent game in that time slot.
Our game with UNLV was rough being on the east coast.
But it was a totally different thing when Cal-Stanford was playing and up against New Mexico- Nevada. Now that PAC game has to potentially go against UCLA and USC games vs. the Big 10 (most of which draw better viewership than the PAC). Then add to it that teams in the central time zone seem to be open to 8 or even 9 p.m. local kickoffs, at least once in a while. That's bleeding into that slot.
The challenge the remaining PAC teams have is that there are better games starting to run into their late slot. It's bad enough for the PAC that they lose their best draw in USC, now they have to compete against USC and UCLA AND other leagues seem to be open to expanding into that slot or at least increasing the overlap with some locally late kicks in the central time zone.
I definitely agree that this is really, really bad for the PAC 12 (just having to compete in that time slot with UCLA/USC vs the B1G)
Have to admit I'm a little slow when it comes to understanding all these media package negotiations. I'm hearing lots of folks saying that Yormark's move to negotiate a package before before the Pac could do so was brilliant. I'm not doubting this, but I'm having troubles understanding why it was so brilliant. Is it because the major media companies only had so much money to budget for college football rights and the first conference to come to an agreement with them would end up getting the majority of those dollars?
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Just switch PAC 12 and Big 12 in these articles and posts.
That could help paint the picture. The conferences are mirror images of each other. Yormark grabbed a seat at the table and kept the linear windows for the Big 12
The PAC ****** around and found out.
This is true to some level, but wasn’t the viewer numbers for most Pac 12 schools much smaller than most Big 12 schools? Not sure we were equals.
The way I understand it, there are only so many TV slots for football games by the networks. On a college football day, you generally have 3-4 slots. Noon, Mid afternoon, Prime time, and sometimes late night.
The media networks are trying to find games to fill those slots, so as the SEC and Big 10 fill up those inventory of slots, it becomes more scarce for the Big12 and PAC to take the rest. Since we jumped the gun and beat the PAC to it, there may be less interest by other media partners due to less available inventory to sell.
Thanks. I'm also trying to understand why so many folks are saying Yormark "jumped the gun". Is it because the Big 12's current media package ends in 2025 and the Pac's current package ends in 2024?
Those numbers were cut and spun and spun again. The Big 12 was coming from a position of relative strength vs the PAC in my opinion.
The PAC supporters didn't see it that way and the conference seems to have gone to market with a very inflated idea of their worth. Kliavkoff even said they would catch the SEC at some point.
Delusional at best and more likely snake oil.
Yormark cut a deal, boxed out the PAC, and the PAC keeps shooting itself in the ass with this perceived value.
But if the PAC cut the first deal then the story could be very different
I think it's because we exercised our option to negotiate early with Fox and ESPN only. So we jumped the gun by exercising that option as opposed to waiting for the normal window.
And actually got the deal done versus whatever the hell Kliavkoff is doing.
Dude should've been canned before he was even hired.
Yormark is a shark. Finally we have a goddam shark on our side
So I'm getting the impression that the Pac is a victim of their own arrogance.
I think the PAC and its minions are trying to spin it that Yormark "jumped the gun" because the Big 12's per school payouts in the new 6-year extension aren't as high as many were thinking it would be. It's the only spin they have. They don't want to admit it was a smart move because it locked the Big 12 in with ESPN and FOX and undercut the PAC's ability to do the same. And the deal left room for those payouts to increase with the right expansion moves in the future.
It wouldn’t take much to pry me away from UCLA vs MSU or USC vs Rutgers. It’s not like the late slot games would all be marquee matchups.