More Conference Movement Coming

[SubGod22]

ESPN - Sources: San Diego St. tells Mountain West it plans to exit

San Diego State gave the Mountain West written notice this week that the school "intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference," sources told ESPN.

In the letter, they asked the Mountain West for a "one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control." As of now, there does not appear to be an invitation to San Diego State from a Power Five conference.

The withdrawal letter, which came from San Diego State president Adela de la Torre on June 13, comes with complexities and prompted a terse back-and-forth between the league and SDSU. That included San Diego State subsequently informing the league that the June 13 letter was "not the official notice of resignation," according to sources.

San Diego State would need to give a year notice to withdraw next June. If they wait past June 30, the exit fee that they'd owe would jump from nearly $16.5 million to nearly $34 million.

They do not currently have an invite in hand from the PAC, which is their expected landing spot. The PAC is still trying to hammer out their next TV deal. But the PAC is also still being considered for poaching from the XII. I've seen some recent headlines about Colorado moving back and I know there were previous talks about both Arizona's, Utah and Colorado moving after OU and Texas leave for the SEC.

If the PAC is close to making moves, I think San Diego State is the only school that is pretty much universally agreed upon as being an obvious choice. Universally outside of the snobby section of the PAC community.

While I don't mind the recent additions to the AAC, they're better than I initially thought, part of me still wishes we hadn't invited six in hopes that the PAC might take SDSU and open the door for the AAC to move in and take four or so of the remaining MWC schools.

Either way, I both enjoy and hate conference realignment.

[ShockTalk]

ESPN - Sources: San Diego St. tells Mountain West it plans to exit


While I don't mind the recent additions to the AAC, they're better than I initially thought, part of me still wishes we hadn't invited six in hopes that the PAC might take SDSU and open the door for the AAC to move in and take four or so of the remaining MWC schools.

My feelings also.

[pogo]

So glad we are in the AAC vs the wac. The biggest drawback I saw in the wac was the times that games/events would be played. Scores would not hit the wires until monday and then compete with professional sports coverage. This has always been a problem for the pac.

[ShockingButTrue]

The WAC is WACK.

[SubGod22]

ESPN - Mountain West: Won't approve any exceptions for San Diego St.

The Mountain West Conference sent an additional letter to San Diego State on Friday, informing the school that "at this time" the conference will not approve any exceptions the school had requested last week when it gave notice that it intends to resign from the conference, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Monday.

San Diego State had requested a "one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control," plus a reduced exit fee or the ability to pay the exit fee in installments.

The Mountain West letter Friday was in response to SDSU's assertion that it had not given formal notice of withdrawal. The conference also said it did not accept the school's claim that it had not given formal notice of resignation.

San Diego State would need to give a year's notice to withdraw next June, and the exit fee would be due then. If it waits past June 30, the exit fee it would owe jumps from nearly $16.5 million to nearly $34 million.

The drama is slightly entertaining. It appears that the MWC will consider SDSU done with the conference following this upcoming season regardless if SDSU has a PAC invite or not.

I'm still not sure the PAC gets the deal they think they will and we don't see the XII take the Arizona's, Utah, and Colorado. Plus, the B1G is still a threat to take Oregon and at least one other.

[WstateU]

Nearly comical…

[SubGod22]

SI - Big 12 Commissioner Will Eye Two Additions to Replace Oklahoma, Texas in 2024

The Big 12 has officially expanded to 14 teams with the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, but it won’t stay that way for long. After this year, they’ll return to 12 teams once Oklahoma and Texas depart for the SEC. Despite the recent shakeup, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wants the conference to stay at 14 teams, hinting that it could once again expand.

“I’d like to stay at 14 [teams] even with the departure of Texas and Oklahoma, candidly,” Yormark told Spencer Linton of BYU Sports Nation. “We’ll see if that’s a possibility or not. But I love 12.”

I still think they go to 16 if the PAC TV deal doesn't come about. I think it would be a win for the XII if they took Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State.

[SubGod22]

The Aztecs get their money and are a part of the MWC and in good standing.

ESPN - SDSU to remain in Mountain West as sides resolve dispute, receive $6.6M

San Diego State's standing with the Mountain West has been crystallized.

First-year commissioner Gloria Nevarez said Wednesday that the conference informed San Diego State that it is a member in good standing.

"I think my overarching philosophy to the entire thing is San Diego State is a positive to the Mountain West," Nevarez said at the conference's football media days. "We are better with San Diego State, and I feel good about where we landed."

According to Nevarez, this step in the recently complicated relationship between the Mountain West and SDSU means the school will soon receive the $6.6 million that the league was withholding, although she said SDSU is responsible for paying the conference's legal fees associated with the matter.

[SubGod22]

ACC continuing to look at possible expansion, commissioner says

Since the first major realignment dominoes fell with Texas and Oklahoma's decision to leave the Big 12 for the SEC happened in summer 2021, the ACC has explored possible expansion options, according to multiple league administrators, running models on adding a number of potential targets, including West Virginia, SMU, Oregon and Washington. However, league officials haven't determined if any additional schools would help bridge the ACC's financial gap with the SEC and Big Ten.

But Phillips has also touted the ACC's relatively secure position as the No. 3 league in TV revenue, which along with the conference's grant of rights deal, which extends until 2036, as a source of optimism.

"Revenue generation continues to be a priority, but this league is third right now in revenue as we go forward into wherever the next TV deals are for other conferences where, we've looked at it," Phillips said. "We've had multiple TV consultants. Third is certainly a good position, but we want to gain and gain traction financially in order to close the gap with the SEC and the Big Ten."

Several ACC athletics directors expressed concerns to ESPN, however, that the Big 12's push for continued growth could threaten the ACC's third-place status, particularly given that league will have an opportunity to negotiate another new TV deal four years before the ACC does. As one AD suggested, expansion could be valuable to the league simply as a means of preventing the Big 12 from growing further.

[SubGod22]

ESPN - Sources: Big 12 looking to add one more school to get to 14

The Big 12 is interested in adding one more school, which would eventually bring the conference membership to 14 teams after Oklahoma and Texas leave for the SEC in 2024, multiple Big 12 sources told ESPN.

The Big 12 athletic directors met with commissioner Brett Yormark on Friday morning, one day after Colorado announced it would leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12 following the 2023-24 season.

"Fourteen seems to be our best number," a source told ESPN. "Now that we're at 13, who's going to be the first to make a move to start having a conversation with us was the general discussion today. We talked about a lot of different schools, but it's more about, 'Hey, we've got room for one more and who wants to be the first to really want to be a part of the Big 12 now and join us?'"

It always sounds like 14 is their cap, but I don't believe it. I do think that by continuing to talk about 14, and indicate that there's one spot open, might get a few of the PAC schools to start talking sooner rather than later. Some schools have talked about waiting to see what the media deal looks like, but I think most of them expected to have some numbers in front of them by now. As those number keep being pushed out, some schools might get fed up. And if rumors of say an Arizona pop up that they're considering making the move, it may cause a few others to jump in as well allowing the XII to pull three more instead of just one. Having a couple more western teams gives them a few more time slot options for TV and I'm sure ESPN and Fox would be in favor of that. And those western teams get more eastern time zone games to end up in prime time and be seen by more recruits.

Selfishly, I also want to see the PAC on its heels. Plus the B1G is still sitting there and on the record of saying they're not done with expansion, but they're taking their time. If the media deal isn't good enough and defections start, the B1G I'm sure will open up to Oregon and Washington should they be ready to bolt.

[MoValley John]

ESPN - Sources: Big 12 looking to add one more school to get to 14
Plus the B1G is still sitting there and on the record of saying they're not done with expansion, but they're taking their time. If the media deal isn't good enough and defections start, the B1G I'm sure will open up to Oregon and Washington should they be ready to bolt.

B1G now rumored to take Washington, Oregon, Clemson and Fla State.

[SubGod22]

ESPN - Big Ten explores possible expansion amid Pac-12 instability

In the wake of a Yahoo Sports report Wednesday that the Big Ten has begun "exploratory discussions" about potential additions, the Big Ten said in a statement: "It's also commissioner's job to keep conference chancellors and presidents informed about new developments as they occur."

That statement hints at the instability in the Pac-12, which lost Colorado to the Big 12 last week. The league was presented a primarily Apple streaming deal Tuesday that was met with tepid reactions because of issues with exposure and guaranteed money.

That leaves nine schools pondering their options, along with an uncertainty around the Pac-12 that prompted the Big Ten to begin formal due diligence, sources confirmed to ESPN. The Big Ten's discussions are centered on Washington and Oregon, sources told ESPN.

"Discussions are happening," an industry source told ESPN. "It's hard to assess when it would/will happen. At this point, it's now logical for all parties. I think if something happens, it'll be pretty quickly."

ESPN reported on Monday that Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti had begun quiet diligence on Washington and Oregon. Sources indicated that effort has ramped up throughout the week, although there's some patience to see how things unfold in the Pac-12.

I don't think this really surprises anyone and has been pretty much expected, barring a great media deal for the PAC.

Seems there has been a belief that both the XII and B1G have been hesitant to break up the PAC, but it sounds like that may go out the window because those target schools are now more likely to be looking for an escape.

At the very least, I would expect Oregon and Washington to the B1G and Arizona to the XII to be announced before Halloween. I'm not sure it'll take that long, but who knows how these things will move. It's just as likely that we hear about movement before the end of this month.

[SubGod22]

As expected

ESPN - Big Ten adds Oregon, Washington as newest members in blow to Pac-12

Unlike USC and UCLA, Oregon and Washington will not enter the Big Ten with full revenue shares. Sources told ESPN that both schools will receive approximately $30 million annually when they join the league, a share that will increase by $1 million during the current media contract with Fox, NBC and CBS, which runs through the 2029-30 athletic season. They then would be able to receive full shares. The other Big Ten members are expected to receive more than $60 million annually from the new agreement this year, an amount that will increase over the life of the deal. Previous Big Ten expansion additions Nebraska, Rutgers and Maryland also did not receive full revenue shares immediately.

Factoring in other media revenue streams over a 10-year period, Oregon president Karl Scholz said, "We anticipate averaging over $50 million just from direct media rights."

After a longer and secretive process to add USC and UCLA in June 2022, the Big Ten moved quickly on Oregon and Washington. The league had been focused on integrating USC and UCLA but mobilized after the Pac-12 lost Colorado to the Big 12 and could not gain enough traction for its streaming-heavy media rights deal, presented to presidents and chancellors on Tuesday morning. A sub-group of four Big Ten presidents and chancellors began exploring expansion possibilities Wednesday, focusing on Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford before refining their focus to the two Northwest schools.

These two will essentially be getting a half share and still making more than they would have gotten in the PAC.

ESPN - Washington president on Big Ten move: 'It was about stability'

University of Washington president Ana Mari Cauce said Saturday that the program's departure from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten alongside Oregon was "not just about dollars and cents" but rooted in myriad factors, one being that the proposed TV rights deal between the Pac-12 and Apple did not provide the long-term stability the school was seeking.

"When you have a deal that people are saying that one of the best aspects are that you can get out of it in two years, that tells you a lot," Cauce said in a conference call with news media. "This was about national visibility for our players, being on linear TV so they can be seen, so they could have the national exposure. It was about stability. It was about having a future that we could count on and built towards."

Cauce went on to say that the TV deal the Pac-12 presidents had been discussing a few days before was not the same one that was on the table at the end, and that the opportunities and stabilities provided by the Big Ten were "simply unmatched."

"I have to say this was heart-wrenching," Cauce said. "For more than a year, all of us worked really, really hard to find a viable path forward that would keep us together."

Arizona State President Michael Crow, who also spoke to the media Saturday in the wake of ASU's departure to the Big 12, had a different outlook despite also leaving the conference. According to Crow, ASU was heavily interested in the Apple deal, which would have allowed for instant digitization of ASU football, men's basketball and women's basketball games and could also have enhanced the viewing experience as well as the athletes' ability to use game tape for their own purposes.

Interesting that the Apple deal was attractive to some members. I tend to side with the Washington Pres. that linear access and exposure is better than a streaming service that doesn't have near the reach.

ESPN - Big 12 approves additions of Utah, Arizona State, bringing league to 16 teams

"We are thrilled to welcome Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12," commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. "The Conference is gaining three premier institutions both academically and athletically, and the entire Big 12 looks forward to working alongside their presidents, athletic directors, student-athletes and administrators."

Both Utah and Arizona State applied for membership prior to the vote, per ESPN sources, a necessary first step for schools to be approved to switch leagues.

The announcement came after a chaotic day that saw Oregon and Washington leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

The move crystalizes what will be remembered as a dizzying spiral for the Pac-12, which began Friday morning with optimism about the league's presidents and chancellors agreeing to the schools' grant of rights for a new television contract.

Pretty sure all of this was pretty much expected. Especially if the PAC couldn't' land a good media deal.

What's next for the PAC-4?

ESPN - The enormous impact on men's basketball as the Pac-12 nears extinction

It's a potentially stunning and sudden end to a league that can be traced back more than 100 years, with four of the first six members of the conference -- California, Oregon State, Washington State and Stanford -- the last ones standing. (Or the ones left out in the cold.) Just over a decade ago, the Pac-12 was one of the biggest brands at the table, even passing up a chance to add Texas and Oklahoma. Now it's on the verge of extinction.

The Apple Cup rivalry games between Washington and Washington State? Those will be less frequent, at best. Ditto for the Oregon and Oregon State rivalry once known as the Civil War.

The ACC and SEC were not involved in this round of realignment, but they're not completely exempt from the discussion. The SEC is undoubtedly watching and weighing whether it needs to respond to the Big Ten's expansion with its own, while these moves come on the heels of Florida State's president saying it might have to consider leaving the ACC.

Realignment discussions are primarily centered around college football -- and ESPN already tackled most of the relevant football questions -- but there are widespread ramifications for college basketball too. What does this all mean and what questions are left to be answered?

There are some thoughts from Borzello and Medcalf in the article. Sounds like the PAC is dead, outside of a merger/rebranding with the MWC. Due to the massive hit to any media deal late last week and the fact that the exit fees to leave the MWC are currently over $30M, leaving for the PAC makes little sense. If the MWC does absorb the PAC-4 I'm sure they'll get a bump in their media deal, but I'm not sure how much. They'd add two new states and then secure more viewership in NorCal.

I think I saw some rumors at least that the AAC had reached out to the PAC-4 as well. There would be worse things, but if we were going to add four more schools I'd cut out Washington State and Oregon State, add Cal and Stanford and then make a run at SDSU and one other (Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, Colorado State, Air Force, New Mexico). I do think ESPN would give the AAC a bump if they could add four schools in western time zones. Going to 18 sounds kinda crazy though. My preference for a conference is 12, but I can take 16.

I think the only way the AAC gets any western teams at this point is if the MWC/PAC create a new conference that leaves out some of the others. The thing is, anyone left out of a move like that probably wouldn't be attractive to the AAC. Those schools would more likely find their way into the WAC and get them back to FBS football.

[SubGod22]

ESPN - WSU president preparing realignment moves from 'bad spot'

The athletes' prime questions centered on whether sports would be cut, access to championships, travel and the school's eventual conference destination.

Schulz didn't have an answer to the conference piece, as he said WSU has hired a consultant and will explore options, such as adding programs to the remaining Pac-12 or joining a league such as the Mountain West or perhaps the American Athletic Conference.

"At the end of the day, us doing something on the East Coast, unless it's a hell of a lot of money, there's just no way to make it work," Schulz said.

He said that Washington State and Oregon State are waiting out the courtship between the ACC and Stanford and Cal.

Part of the consultant's job will be to assess the Pac-12's remaining value, which includes significant brand equity, NCAA basketball units and access to incoming media money. Lawyers are examining just how much access the remaining four schools have to this year's media money and other league assets.

The leaders of the remaining four schools now constitute the Pac-12's board. Schulz is the only one with extensive experience in athletic matters, as Stanford's and Cal's leaders are both on the way out and Oregon State president Jayathi Y. Murthy has been on the job less than a year.

Sounds like Wazzu and OSU may have no desire to join the AAC unless ESPN gives us a pretty solid bump and will be content on joining the MWC if it comes to that. Admits that a lot depends on Stanford and Cal. Though it also sounds like he believes Stanford and Cal have no desire to join the MWC (academics?). Is it possible that the AAC could pull Stanford and Cal and the MWC gets OSU and Wazzu? If the AAC landed Stanford and Cal, could we then maybe pull in SDSU and another from the MWC in a couple of years when their exit fees go down to have a little more western support for the two PAC schools?

ESPN - Sources: Cal, Stanford to ACC hits 'significant roadblocks'

After ACC presidents met Wednesday night, the pursuit of Cal and Stanford for conference membership "hit significant roadblocks," sources told ESPN.

No vote was taken, but conversations about expansion among the league presidents are expected to continue as they wrestle with the best way to position the league into the future, sources said.

Talks about Cal and Stanford picked up after the Pac-12 broke apart last week, but there had always been long odds the schools would join the conference because there is not a significant financial value add. For a league that is staring at a looming revenue gap with the SEC and Big Ten that could reach $30 million annually, adding revenue must be a major factor for consideration.

SMU also had been bandied about as a potential addition to the ACC, and those conversations aren't headed anywhere, either, sources said. Cal and Stanford remain far more appealing to a faction of league presidents because of their academic and brand value, even though they would not bring in a financial windfall.

Sources confirmed one school that has been pushing for the addition of Cal and Stanford is Notre Dame, which is a member in the ACC in all sports except football. Notre Dame does get a vote on expansion, and it has a long history with Stanford. The fit from an Olympics sports perspective is attractive, too. But multiple athletic directors have questioned why anyone in the league would listen to Notre Dame because the Irish remain so steadfast in remaining independent.

Doesn't sound like the ACC has enough incentive to add the CA schools. I'm guessing Notre Dame would have to commit to joining the conference in football for it to get done, and the Irish have no desire to do that.

So, while Stanford and Cal don't add value to the ACC in terms of media money, they most definitely would to the AAC. The question is, how much value would they add? Could they land us double what we're currently getting? $15M would still be a cut for them, but a big boost to the rest of the conference. That would raise the WSU yearly payout to $6M.

[SubGod22]

ESPN - Mountain West mulls next move as ACC decides on Cal, Stanford

If Cal and Stanford are accepted into the ACC -- a possibility that hit roadblocks Wednesday evening -- there is a widespread expectation that Oregon State and Washington State would move to the MWC, sources told ESPN.

If the ACC does not add Cal and Stanford, however, it's less clear how things will play out. Since Friday, when five of the remaining nine Pac-12 schools announced they were leaving, the MWC has been gaming out various scenarios.

"A lot of it is just trying to sort fact from fiction out there," Nevarez said. "There's just so much information about what's going on, and not all of it is true. From my perspective, it's been a matter of connecting with our athletic directors and presidents and contacts that I have in the industry to try to provide our board the best information out there."

The American Athletic Conference would also be willing to consider adding all four remaining Pac-12 schools, sources told ESPN.

I think I mentioned this previously. If Cal and Stanford do find their way into the ACC, Wazzu and OSU would go to the MWC. If Cal and Stanford don't get in, we have a better chance of landing those two than the MWC does because we have an overall better academic fit that would appeal more to those two. If ESPN would bump the contract enough, the PNW schools might come. If it's only a small bump, they won't. And quite frankly, I'm okay if those two schools don't come. If we were going to go to 18, I'd prefer Cal and Stanford and then lure two others from the MWC to follow in a year or two (SDSU, AFA, CSU, USU, UNR). I'm not sure what the academic standards of those schools are, but despite what some say, it does matter to the AAC presidents and would definitely matter to Stanford and Cal.