I agree with your assessment. I know many people on this board are only interested in a football team that plays at the highest level with a shot at the crystal pointy thing. But, college football, for many fans across the country, is about watching one’s alma mater play the game, sitting at a bar or in a living room with friends and other alums, watching your team play its rival or one of its big games – the Monon Bell game, the Brawl of the Wild, the Biggest Little Game in America, etc. Rather than hope for the top of the pile, I hope to enjoy my team in the struggle as they experience other teams with wonderful histories, beautiful venues, and small town college locales. That is the pleasure of college football.
It’s no longer amateur. It’s only a matter of time before the athletes are paid employees.
This is what I’ve been saying all along. There seems to be this narrative that without the L.A. schools, the Pac-12 is worthless, so Utah, Colorado, and the AZ schools should quickly jump to the Big 12. But this didn’t make sense to me. Why should WE go THERE, rather than some of THEIR schools coming HERE? The Big 12 conference doesn’t have any L.A. schools either. That conference has been weakened by the losses of Texas and Oklahoma. Side-by-side, the remaining Pac-10 still looks somewhere between “no worse” to “notably better”. If the Pac-10 poaches TT, BU, TCU, and OSU, we improve our profile, and prevent the Big 12 from destroying our league. And if TT, BU, TCU, and OSU come aboard, they will get to avoid all those exhausting cross country trips to Cincinnati, Morgantown, and Orlando, as well no longer having to play in a conference where a full THIRD of its members are “midmajors”. Also, by joining the remaining Pac-10 members, their revenues would only have to be split 14 ways, rather than the 16 ways they’re currently considering by raiding the Pac-10.
A “Pac-14” would be worth more than a “Big XVI”. And it would be more stable.
The more I think about things, the more it seems Utah has only 2 viable options.
1) Go to the BigXII with at least 3 other Pac-12 teams.
2) Remain in the Pac-12, but ONLY if the Pac-12 expands by taking some combination of Oklahoma State & Texas Tech along with at least two other BigXII teams.
Only one of these conferences has a chance to survive longterm, and it will be the one that poaches teams from the other. Without expansion, the new Pac-10 won’t last long before it is eventually raided by the BigXII and/or the B1G.
Obviously, as fans, we want Utah to keep winning every year because we are fans and want our team to win. That’s a given. However, beyond that, CFB is reorganizing into a semi-pro league that is going to take (likely) another decade+ until the ACC GOR expires in 2036 (assuming there is no way for teams to get out of it now).
I’m confident when all is said or done there is no more Big10 or SEC or Big12 (or if they do exist they will not have the power teams). We will ultimately end up with one conference (league) with a commissioner and collective bargaining for players (with a players union). That league will likely be between the 40 and 60 schools that are the most valuable. Today, Utah would make that league, but we don’t have the brand or broad fan appeal like blue bloods. It is our winning culture and consistency that has put us there (thank heavens for Kyle).
However, all that could go away if we start losing and become irrelevant again. Just look at Arizona or Minnesota or Illinois. All three could probably be included in such a league (and may still) but because they aren’t really relevant in CFB, they could be left on the outside looking in. Continued winning is the only way we survive the next decade.
Kyle is retiring sometime in the next 5 years. It is immensely critical that we hire the right coach that will keep us relevant. Whomever we hire it has to be a home run. If the AD gets that hire wrong, we are in a world of hurt.
100%. This is now or (probably) never for Utah. This may be our best and only shot ever again at the playoff or a natty. Beyond that, it is critical to attempt to position us for the B1G or SEC (which we shouldn’t discount as geography no longer matters).
Thank you OnlyU. This actually makes the most sense. Canzano tweeted earlier today that Kliavkov is a genius but wouldn’t explain why. I understand the ESPN was caught off guard and it makes sense they would be willing to allow the ACC to merge with the PAC to form a third super conference. If this plays out, it will be the P3 instead of the P2. And to your point about byu fans, I have pointed that out to them several times, they just don’t get it. My hunch is the remaining big 12 teams are kicking themselves for inviting them when they did.
Just to be clear, you are advocating that if enough people had voluntarily dropped their cable or DirecTV subscriptions and signed up with Dish (and let them know that access to the P-12 Network was the only reason for doing so).,, then those other outlets would have seen the light and started carrying the Pac-12 Network?
Seems more like a guy who hit on 19 with a 3 showing than a genius. At the very least, you have to admit that he vastly overestimated the value of the content that he was trying to sell and passed on multiple opportunities to expand the conference’s viewership by finding a price that would bring DirecTV, Comcast, etc to the table.
Last time I checked, 1% of something is infinitely more than 100% of nothing.
This doesn’t get any attention. Any info you can give OnlyU?
Solid post. You make some very good points. The B10 and SEC are going all in and as more time passes with no further action, the P12/10, B12, and ACC to an extent have time to make a move. ND is the next critical move for the B10. Kilakloff (sp) has to be p**sed working all night with other conferences to counter the B10 move. A lot I suspect will happen in the next couple weeks. Guessing the B10 and SEC want to get things firmed up ASAP.
Kilakloff needs to do everything legally and financially possible to put the screws to USC and UCLA over the next two years at all costs.
As the dust settles, exposure of the downsides to UCLA and USC moving to the B10 will come to light especially if the B10 stops there. Sure, it’s all about the media money and all looks pretty now. The media market for USC and UCLA is the only draw for the B10 and the SoCal schools are desparate for their old ways hopeful to buy their way to championship status appeasing deep pocket alumni so they feel more secure wearing their USC sweater vest at c**ktail parties. Highly doubt OSU, Michigan, and others are going to let USC come in make demands.
I suspect Kilakloff and others are pressing hard with the remaining P12 schools and other conferences to make a counter move fast. The B12 needs the P12 schools to keep their own stability. Could be Crimson colored glasses, I do think Utah is in a good spot overall especially from a geographical stand point and recent success and continued untapped potential. As you mention, the other West coast P12 schools are in a tough spot. I have to think Stanford and Cal are wild card in all of this shuffling. Weird and very sad times for the tradition of college football. All wild ass guesses. Go Utes!
Utah @ 
UCLA 
