Pac-12 reportedly has nine finalists for next add

[ipd054]

 

https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/reporters/morning-download

John Canzano reported Wednesday the Pac-12 essentially has nine finalists for its next addition to the conference, that list including Nevada, UNLV, Memphis, Tulane, Rice, Texas State, USF, UTSA and North Texas. The Pac-12 is one football program short of being FBS compliant and was stymied last fall both by the American Athletic Conference and Mountain West after its initial poach of five MW schools, including Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State, plus the WCC's Gonzaga. Canzano writes: “UNLV and Nevada would be a geographically logical next step, but I’m told by multiple sources that the Pac-12 has been weighing an assortment of other factors. Among those factors are brand, athletic success, the will to invest, travel expenses, geography and economics. At least one of the potential candidates on the list has offered to take zero media rights distributions in the early years of membership, per a source." UNLV and Nevada have been trendy names over the last several months, but there's a major contractual issue there as both Silver State schools signed a grant of media rights with the MW, which hold the media rights for the Wolf Pack and Rebels home games through 2032. Texas State still seems like the most likely addition because of its placement in the Sun Belt, which has a less onerous exit fee than the MW and AAC.

https://www.johncanzano.com/p/canzano-sorting-out-pac-12-expansion?utm_campaign=email-post&r=2t3w8&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

 

The Pac-12 Conference athletic directors gathered for a morning meeting on the conference level at Park MGM Las Vegas early last week. The event lasted a few hours. The university presidents joined for a second meeting later that afternoon.

Several of the presidents appeared in person, per sources. Others participated via Zoom. The decision-makers of the new-world Pac-12 received updates on the conference’s media rights negotiations and discussed expansion, among other topics.

What’s the Pac-12’s expansion move?

Adding UNLV? Or maybe wooing Memphis? Texas State and/or Tulane? South Florida? How about UTSA, Rice, Nevada, or North Texas?

Said one campus source: “If someone emerges outside that list, it would be a surprise.”

[Mean Green 93-98]

Quote

At least one of the potential candidates on the list has offered to take zero media rights distributions in the early years of membership.

I'm assuming that's Texas State?

It's a little misleading to refer to Memphis, Tulane, and USF as "finalists" when they already turned the new PAC down.

[NT80]

46 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

I'm assuming that's Texas State?

It's a little misleading to refer to Memphis, Tulane, and USF as "finalists" when they already turned the new PAC down.

It’s also misleading to refer to UNLV and Nevada as finalists when they have already signed over their Media rights to the MWC thru 2032. 
 

I doubt any invites happen before a media deal is confirmed and the MWC poaching lawsuit is settled. 

[GMG_Dallas]

Colorado STATE, Utah STATE, San Diego STATE, Boise STATE, Fresno STATE, Washington STATE, Oregon STATE, North Texas (state)... seems like a perfect fit to me. Truly though, if they're looking at being a basketball conference, the best fits in that list if looking at recent history are Memphis, us, and UNLV. Nevada has been good at times so they're not a bad fit either. Everybody else on the list would drag the conference.

[Stix]

35 minutes ago, GMG_Dallas said:

Colorado STATE, Utah STATE, San Diego STATE, Boise STATE, Fresno STATE, Washington STATE, Oregon STATE, North Texas (state)...

Memphis (State)...

Texas State?

[GMG_Dallas]

36 minutes ago, Stix said:

Memphis (State)...

Texas State?

Never heard of them

[GMG_Dallas]

Also, swap UNLV and Nevada in my list of good fits based on recent history. Got them switched up. Nevada has been very good for some time now.

[JimboF]

I think Texas State and UTSA will join the Pac. Those two schools have a pretty good rivalry, they both seem to be improving in general, and their campuses are only about 45 miles apart. Thus, other conference members could visit the Austin-San Antonio corridor and get multiple games with minimal travel issues. 

[JimboF]

I think neither Texas State nor UTSA is more deserving of a place in the newly configured Pac than North Texas. However, Texas State can exit the Sun Belt with minimal difficulty (low buyout), which gives the Bobcats an inside track. It also seems like UTSA as a whole is more interested than North Texas in moving to the Pac (despite public denials). Furthermore, I think Texas State's rivalry with UTSA would prove useful/meaningful to the Pac, in addition to providing for really easy travel between San Marcos and San Antonio. I mean, it matters that the distance between Denton and San Marcos is more than 250 miles, whereas the distance between San Antonio and San Marcos is not even 50 miles. Regardless of which school(s) is/are chosen, fans in Texas would be really excited to see Boise State football games in Texas, Gonzaga basketball games in Texas, and Oregon State baseball games in Texas. I know I'd be really interested in traveling to Colorado and San Diego to watch Bobcat athletic teams play road games. Perhaps we won't have to wait much longer to see what happens. 

[NT80]

3 hours ago, JimboF said:

I think Texas State and UTSA will join the Pac. Those two schools have a pretty good rivalry, they both seem to be improving in general, and their campuses are only about 45 miles apart. Thus, other conference members could visit the Austin-San Antonio corridor and get multiple games with minimal travel issues. 

Adding both TSU and UTSA is duplication in the same media market.   That's not what the PAC needs.   

[JimboF]

I wouldn't say it's a duplication, because UTSA is in San Antonio, while San Marcos is considered part of the Austin metropolitan area. Perhaps that's "splitting hairs," but nonetheless, the San Antonio and Austin combined metropolitan populations exceed five million people, which is more than enough people to provide ample interest in those two athletic departments. I could be wrong, but I think it'll be those two rather than North Texas or Rice. 

[JimboF]

By the way, is there any particular reason North Texas doesn't have a baseball team, which might actually matter to some Pac members? 

[greenminer]

Just now, JimboF said:

By the way, is there any particular reason North Texas doesn't have a baseball team, which might actually matter to some Pac members? 

[JimboF]

So does that mean the Easter Bunny decided North Texas shouldn't have a baseball team? 

[Green Otaku]

5 hours ago, JimboF said:

I think Texas State and UTSA will join the Pac. Those two schools have a pretty good rivalry, they both seem to be improving in general, and their campuses are only about 45 miles apart. Thus, other conference members could visit the Austin-San Antonio corridor and get multiple games with minimal travel issues. 

UTSA will have the same problem any AAC team will have and that's the massive buyout. The media deal will say if it's worth it for them or any other team to pursue a move. Is it possible for any combo of schools to move? Yes, but it comes down to the cold hard numbers.

[NT80]

9 hours ago, JimboF said:

By the way, is there any particular reason North Texas doesn't have a baseball team, which might actually matter to some Pac members? 

Baseball is on the Master Plan.  It's all about funding.  UNT has spent probably $150 million on Athletics facilities and infrastructure in the past 15 years.   What has TSU and UTSA spent in the same time frame?

[greenminer]

11 hours ago, JimboF said:

So does that mean the Easter Bunny decided North Texas shouldn't have a baseball team? 

ha! nope.  Just making a joke about going down the rabbit hole.

[JimboF]

I agree that UTSA will have a major issue dealing with the AAC buyout, but you never know, where there's a will, there's a way. 

[JimboF]

I think UTSA is somewhat fortunate, because they didn't have to pay for a football stadium to be constructed, and they just rent the Alamodome instead. That's the type of factor that can dramatically change the overall finances of an athletic department and make it more plausible to cobble together the AAC exit fee. 

[Jonnyeagle]

19 minutes ago, JimboF said:

I think UTSA is somewhat fortunate, because they didn't have to pay for a football stadium to be constructed, and they just rent the Alamodome instead. That's the type of factor that can dramatically change the overall finances of an athletic department and make it more plausible to cobble together the AAC exit fee. 

Absolutely.  And the Alamodome isn't the dump that @emmitt01 and others claim it to be. 

[NT80]

1 hour ago, JimboF said:

I think UTSA is somewhat fortunate, because they didn't have to pay for a football stadium to be constructed, and they just rent the Alamodome instead. That's the type of factor that can dramatically change the overall finances of an athletic department and make it more plausible to cobble together the AAC exit fee. 

A stadium you don't control, cannot decorate how you want, and mainly not on campus will limit students attending and doesn't bring alums back to campus = limits connections and donors.   It's not optimal.

[NT93]

1 hour ago, NT80 said:

A stadium you don't control, cannot decorate how you want, and mainly not on campus will limit students attending and doesn't bring alums back to campus = limits connections and donors.   It's not optimal.

AND…it could be booked for another event when UTSA needed to use it and there would be nothing they could do about it.  Thank goodness we don’t have that problem at UNT.

[keith]

4 minutes ago, NT93 said:

AND…it could be booked for another event when UTSA needed to use it and there would be nothing they could do about it.  Thank goodness we don’t have that problem at UNT.

I see what you did there….

[JimboF]

Don't get me wrong, I like the North Texas football stadium better than the Alamodome. Nevertheless, there is certainly something to be said for saving hundreds of millions of dollars and renting a nearby stadium instead. It frees up money for other expenditures. 

[JimboF]

So what's the general consensus on this site regarding North Texas' desire to join the Pac?