What’s Next For Mountain West, Pac-12 Leftovers
What will the Mountain West do?
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Future members from the old Pac
We have been somewhat quiet on the latest wild realignment news that has shown the downfall of the Pac-12. Partly because it has not really involved the Mountain West.
Also, this latest round of realignment it sucks to lose a conference and these giant 16-plus leagues aren’t great for the sport. I was around during the failed 16-team WAC that was a blip on the radar. Will these last longterm, probably not.
As for where things stand in the college football world if you have been under a rock.
The Pac-12 is on life support, at best. The teams that do not have a current home are Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford, and Cal.
The MWC will be exploring expansion opportunities with the leftover PAC 12 members.
I also wouldn’t discount some type of merger between the two conferences in some way. Not sure what that would look like or the branding, but certainly could be a possibility.
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) August 4, 2023
There have been some rumblings that Stanford and Cal could get a look from the Big Ten but that seems unlikely at this point.
The Mountain West has rarely, if ever, been in a position of strength regarding conference realignment. That may change now as these last four schools from the Pac-12 need some help.
Re-forming the Pac-12 with acquisitions is a long shot. The most likely candidates are from the Mountain West, where the exit fee to leave in time for 2024 is $34 million… per school.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 5, 2023
There is value in the Pac-12 name so keeping that brand could be valuable but if any Mountian West schools were to leave for the 2024 season there is that huge buyout.
That is what San Diego State was trying to avoid when asking for an extension when they were looking at joining the band formerly known as the Pac-12.
If we are being honest, the Pac-4 can’t be choosy, and getting any teams into their league is likely impossible. So, what are those schools going to do and what can the Mountain West do?
PODCAST: What Is Next For The Mountain West Now That Pac-12 Is Gone?
Add All Four
The easiest transition would be for the Mountain West to take all four schools and have a 16-team football conference and a 15-team basketball conference.
This would be great for new commissioner Gloria Nevarez to have these programs, especially Stanford which has one of the best athletics programs in the country, if not the best.
If this happens, would CBS and FOX come in and renegotiate a TV deal that is currently worth about $4 million per year? With more inventory that is a possibility, plus FOX wouldn’t be paying for Pac-12 starting in 2024 so there could be some cash lying around.
Now, it wouldn’t be that much but it should increase with more inventory and if we still believe in markets playing a role, the Mountain West would own the Bay Area and a little bit of the Pacific Northwest.
Market rankings nationally
6. Bay Area (Stanford, Cal, San Jose State)
16. Denver (Colorado State)
20. Sacramento-Modesto (Fresno State)
21. Portland (Oregon State)
27. San Diego (SDSU)
30. Salt Lake City (Utah State)
40. Las Vegas (UNLV)
Not bad but not great. However, Utah State doesn’t really draw viewers in Salt Lake City with the University of Utah and BYU around. Also, Colorado State shares the state and is overshadowed by Colorado. The same goes for Oregon State in the Portland market.
Having these four schools would create something new for the conference and perhaps get a media rights deal of around $10 million per year, maybe?
