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Jeremy's
Behind the Bleachers: A Fan’s Perspective on Conference Reshuffle
By Jeremy Strause
January 18th, 2024
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Hi, you probably don’t know me, but my name is Jeremy Strause, and I am a 16-year-old Bay Area native. I am a huge sports fan, and I grew up just a 20-minute drive from Stanford campus, so naturally, I went to many Stanford sporting events. I grew up watching Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love in Stanford Stadium. I still remember the 2014 Rose Bowl and the devastation I felt when Ryan Hewitt couldn’t get just one yard on fourth and one. I have many fond memories of sitting on my couch and watching Pac-12 After Dark.
All of this nostalgia came rushing back to me after Washington defeated Oregon 34-31 to win the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, knowing it’s over. The Pac-12 is left with just two. Some say the Pac-12 is done for good, and others say it will be revamped. Personally, I believe Oregon State and Washington State will abandon the Pac-12 and become independent teams. In any event, this marks the end of the Pac-12 that I grew up with. Although I’m sad to see it go, I understand why it happened.
When we reminisce on the Pac-12, we think of the rich history and the accolades before the 2010’s. We see Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Matt Leinart, Jason Kidd and Aaron Rodgers. We think of the Pete Carroll led USC runs in 2003. We remember John Wooden and his coaching back in the ‘70s. We think of Don James and Washington’s run back in ‘92. We recall Arizona’s miracle March Madness run in ‘97.
In the current era, we see the Pac-12 as the weakest conference out of the Power Five in the big revenue sports. Before this season, the last team out of the Pac-12 to make the College Football playoff was Washington in 2016. The Pac-12 hasn’t produced a football National Champion since USC back in 2004. Men’s basketball hasn’t been much better with the last National Champion coming in 1997 and the last team to make the championship game UCLA back in 2006. This is just a small part of a much larger problem.
Money was the driving force behind the decision to dismantle the Pac-12. Currently, the Pac-12 is under a contract with Fox and ESPN worth three billion dollars over 12 years. This contract is set to expire in 2024. So, the Pac-12 had to go searching for a new partner.
They found a potential match in Apple TV. During an August 1st meeting, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff presented a deal that would see each institution net at most a mere $20 million. This deal never would be signed into effect. This was a crucial detail because this deal never going through allowed the schools to leave the conference without paying an exit fee. The current deal with Fox and ESPN sees each institution making $30 million, meaning the new deal would’ve given the schools less money. For reference, schools in the other Power Five conferences would net $40-70 million, putting the Pac-12 at a huge disadvantage. This, on top of not having to pay an exit fee, made it a very easy decision to leave.
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When you look at the college sports landscape, you might first think of men’s basketball and football. You see the college sports that drive all the attention and viewers. However, we have to look at the bigger picture. Each Pac-12 school has at least 20 sports programs, both female and male. These people are student-athletes, and for them, being a student comes first. Most of these kids won’t make a career out of the sport they play, so education has to be the focal point. When you’re playing against colleges across the country, it will be challenging for these athletes to find time to do their school work. How will this affect the teams in the other Power Five conferences?
The Pac-12 was a great conference because it was very compact geographically. All the teams were within driving distance or a short flight away, making it easier for these smaller sports to commute. Now with these spread out conferences, where will they find the budget to travel? Will this lead to some schools cutting smaller programs?
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Although I’m not happy that the Pac-12 is ending, it will be exciting to see these new expanded conferences play out. The Big Ten with the new Pac-12 additions should make this conference the strongest in the country. The new Big 12 and ACC will not be as strong but will be entertaining. I hate to see it go, but the change will be refreshing.