The conference realignment frenzy in college football has transported me back to a bygone era of journalism, where I toiled away as a summer news desk clerk surrounded by telex machines, pneumatic tubes, and desk drawers overflowing with alcohol at the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner. I vividly remember a sign on an editor’s desk that caught my attention: “Deadline is a two-syllable word.” This concise yet sly statement mocked one of the most sacred principles of the newsroom: never miss a deadline.
But in this digital age of continuous publishing, the concept of a deadline, a word that combines two unequivocal terms according to Merriam-Webster, has become surprisingly flexible. This transformation brings me to the recent developments involving San Diego State University.
If the university intended to leave the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12 within a year, it had to inform the Mountain West by 11 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday. Failing to meet this deadline would result in the school’s exit fee doubling to around $36 million.
However, there was a catch—San Diego State did not have an offer from the Pac-12 Conference.
The reason behind this was simple: the Pac-12 did not have a media rights deal in place. As the clock ticked away on that fateful Friday, the Pac-12 chancellors and presidents gathered to receive their regular update on the media rights negotiations. Meanwhile, San Diego State made the decision to stay in the Mountain West, at least for now.
The timing of this episode, unfolding on June 30, felt strangely appropriate. Exactly a year earlier, Southern California and U.C.L.A., two powerhouses in Pac-12 football and basketball, sent shockwaves through the college athletics world by announcing their decision to join the Big Ten once the Pac-12’s television contract expires after the 2023-24 season.
This presented an unexpected opportunity for San Diego State, which had long yearned for a move to the Pac-12. Such a move would not only establish their athletic credibility but also elevate a California State University institution to the same level as Cal-Berkeley, a prestigious flagship school in the University of California system.
However, this transition would involve a three-step process. First, the Pac-12 needed to secure a media rights deal. Next, the remaining ten members of the conference would have to sign a grant of rights, binding them together for the duration of the media rights agreement. Finally, the conference would consider expansion.
Yet, a year later, the Pac-12 finds itself stuck in first gear.
With its current agreement with ESPN and Fox set to expire after this season, the Pac-12 missed out on several opportunities when the Big 12 surprisingly locked in its media deal with Fox and ESPN last October. Two months prior, the Big Ten had announced its deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC. Additionally, the Southeastern Conference’s ten-year contract with ESPN will kick in next year, and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s deal with ESPN runs until 2036.
This leaves limited room in the broadcast schedule for showcasing Pac-12 events.
“The problem for the Pac-12 is all the other cards have now been dealt,” explains Ed Desser, a sports media rights consultant. He highlights that the only highly sought-after slots would be Saturday night on ESPN or Friday night on ESPN, Fox, Apple, or Amazon.
Negotiations have faltered for several reasons. Firstly, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff attempted to convince the University of California Board of Regents to keep U.C.L.A. from defecting, as it would have provided the conference access to the lucrative Los Angeles media market. However, the governing board ultimately voted against this.
Furthermore, media companies experienced substantial cutbacks last fall, particularly at Disney, which owns ESPN. Disney announced plans to lay off 7,000 employees due to the ongoing effects of cord cutting. While streaming platforms like Apple and Amazon may seem attractive, they are unlikely to prioritize non-NFL sports programming.
It quickly became clear that the belt-tightening in the media industry would result in second-tier rights deals. Shortly after the Big 12’s below-market deal worth $31.7 million per school, the Pac-12 adjusted its estimates downward by 10% when accounting for a potential agreement involving U.C.L.A.
But as time ticks away, hopes of an agreement have been repeatedly dashed. Initially, there were expectations of a deal before the start of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament, then hopes shifted to the Final Four, mid-April, and finally, the beginning of summer. Now, the assumption is that an announcement will be made before the Pac-12’s football media day on July 21, ensuring that the focus is on football, the dominant storyline of the event.
Of course, the contents of the agreement will have repercussions. The Big 12, which recently added Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston, and may lose Texas and Oklahoma next year, is on the lookout for discontented Pac-12 schools willing to jump ship for a significantly higher payout. The departure of schools like Colorado and Arizona could potentially destabilize the Pac-12.
These are the scenarios that San Diego State had to consider. The Aztecs, who came agonizingly close to winning a men’s basketball championship and consistently field a competent football team, find themselves in a familiar position. In 2011, they agreed to move to the Big East for football while remaining in the Big West for other sports. However, this arrangement collapsed two years later, resulting in their continued affiliation with the Mountain West.
Recently, the president of San Diego State, Adela de la Torre, sent a letter to the Mountain West expressing the school’s intent to leave while requesting more time. This sparked a flurry of letters going back and forth. Ultimately, San Diego State realized that their conference departure may be negotiable, as previous cases have demonstrated. Therefore, the school concluded that if a move to the Pac-12 were to happen, it would happen in due course—regardless of any deadlines.
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