The commissioner of the Pac-12 Conference still has a big question to answer in coming weeks.
Will the new media rights deal he has been working be good enough to hold his league together and prevent other members from leaving?
USA TODAY Sports spoke to the commissioner, George Kliavkoff, by phone after he addressed reporters Friday at the Pac-12’s annual football media day. In the brief interview, he compared the star power Colorado football coach Deion Sanders to that of singers Taylor Swift and Beyonce. He also expounded on his comments at media day, when he said the new media would happen in the “near future” and that “the longer we wait for the media deal, the better our options get.”
What does that mean? And what about the bottom line about whether he believes the new deal will keep the Pac-12 intact after USC and UCLA depart for the Big Ten next year?
“The answer is yes,” he told USA TODAY Sports.
Maybe he wouldn’t say otherwise even if he didn’t believe it, but also didn’t have to say the league’s options have improved over time. He is working to replace the Pac-12’s media rights deal with ESPN and Fox expires in 2024. Such deals are the big drivers that fuel revenue sharing among schools, which was about $37 million per school in the Pac-12 in fiscal 2022. That ranked last among Power Five conferences and was far behind the Big Ten ($58.8 million).
If the new deal doesn’t measure up, Colorado and others could consider a jump to greener pastures.
What did you mean your options have gotten better?
“Our board has been patient,” Kliavkoff said, referring to the league’s governing board of directors. “The market has come back to us. We have bidders at the table who weren’t at the table three or six or nine months ago …. And our deal got better the longer we waited.”
What about the length of the deal?
In April, USA TODAY Sports spoke to University of Colorado Chancellor Phil DiStefano, who sits on the Pac-12’s governing board of directors. He said then that “we’re not going to think about going anywhere, none of us, until we see what kind of offer we get.” DiStefano also said he might prefer a shorter-term deal of five to seven years instead of being locked into a longer contract like the 12-year deal that ends next year. That deal then was touted as the most valuable in college sports at the time.
“We looked at the 12- or 13-year horizon and just didn’t think through enough about how we were going to be leapfrogged by others,” DiStefano said then. He said in five years “we’ll get a much better feel for streaming services,” which are a big factor in the evolving media landscape.
What does the commissioner say about that?
He predicted success in the short term and noted the College Football Playoff will expand from four to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season. The Pac-12 hasn’t had a team make the playoff since Washington in 2016.
“All of our presidents and chancellors are bullish on the future of the conference and particularly how quickly their investment in football has started to pay dividends,” Kliavkoff said.
“They look at the future and go, `If we’re this good the second year of our investment in football, think about what we’re going to be in three or four or five years. And we’re going to playing in the (College Football Playoff) because of the expanded CFP, maybe have two teams into the CFP playoffs … and we’re going to be in a good position.
“I believe in the future of the conference and how good the conference is going to be in a short period of time.”
And what about Coach Prime?
Football coaches come and go and are not typically a factor when negotiating a media rights contract. But Colorado is a different case this year after hiring “Coach Prime” Deion Sanders in December. Fox has already selected Colorado’s first two games to air in its coveted “Big Noon” time slots Sept. 2 and 9 at TCU and at home against Nebraska.
“Our ratings are going to be up this year because of Coach Prime,” Kliavkoff said. “He’s great for the league. He’s great for Colorado. You can see from where the team was last year to where they are this year.”
Is there any other coach who can bring ratings like that?
Sanders has established his football acumen as a Pro Football Hall of Famer and a coach who led Jackson State to a 27-6 record since 2020. But he brings something extra, Kliavkoff said.
“I think if Beyonce of Taylor Swift decided to coach, they might glean the kind of media coverage we’re getting from Deion.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]