Remaining Pac-12 should be looking to expand rather than looking to be picked up

[UteThunder]

A conference of the remaining Pac-12 teams, with the right additions from the BigXII, would have a stronger national perception than would a conference of the remaining BigXII teams with the right additions from the Pac-12.

Which looks stronger to you?

Expanded Pac-12: Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, ASU, Stanford, Cal, Arizona, Oregon State, WSU, TX-Tech, OK-State, Baylor, TCU, and then two to four more of Iowa State, KSU, Kansas, and BYU.

Or . . . 

Expanded BigXII: TX-Tech, OK-State, Baylor, TCU, Iowa State, KSU, Kansas, West Virginia, Houston, Cincinnati, UCF, BYU, Utah, ASU, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington

[Ute2]

I bet it all hinges on Washington and Oregon. 

if they don’t get picked up then pac-12 is better.  If they do get picked we might as well hitch our wagons to the big 12

[AlohaUte]

It’s an issue of money. It seems apparent that the Big12 will make substantially more than the Pac-10, even with expansion. 

So while I’d personally rather add SDSU and Boise State, the money is there to keep teams from the B12. 

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Where does this insistence that the Big 12 is worth more than the Pac-12 coming from? Apart from the zoobie bubble I mean.
Per Stewart Mandel, this isn’t necessarily the case…

“It’s no great secret who he’s likely courting: Pac-12 schools Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.

It would be understandable if some or all of that group is panicking in the wake of USC and UCLA’s recent defections. But it’s not obvious they’d be improving their lot by joining the post-Texas/Oklahoma Big 12. While that conference has stabilized itself nicely, the 10-team Pac-12 still holds more TV leverage. Its new deal comes up a year sooner (2024); it has the two biggest TV brands in Oregon and Washington, who do not appear to be coveted by the Big Ten; and it’s got Pac-12 After Dark, a major selling point for ESPN in particular, which loves filling those late-night slots with quality games.”

Which essentially suggests that the Pac-12 is somewhere on the spectrum of “just as likely” to poach teams from the Big 12 to “in a stronger position” to do so.

And seeing as how the Big 12 had already made a full court press on enticing the “4 corner” schools to defect, and there have been thus far no takers, this only further suggests that we could do better financially in the Pac-X than we might in the Big 12.

[MauchDawgUte]

Just merge and call it the Pig 18.

[Charlie]

Likely conference contracts figure in. Does one of the conference contracts make it difficult to leave? Does both conferences each have teams that are not in the top 12 or 14 of the combined group? Is it easier to build a new conference from scratch. This may be the option if you are trying to create the 3rd power conference.

[UteThunder]

Making a conference from scratch won’t work. To keep P5 status, and playoff inclusion, any new conference would need to be created through expansion of one of the existing conferences. 

[Central Coast Ute]

The GOR for the PAC is up in 2024. For the big 12 it’s up in 2025. Contracts won’t be an issue.

[D T]

My wish would be to avoid the zoobs.

[ProudUte]

I don’t care if we are with BYU or not.  I just want the Utes to land on their feet.  Timing could be critical.  I would accept a bid to play in the Big12 in a heartbeat.

[D T]

My preference is to avoid having to play against the zoobs annually…..IF that’s how it turns out, so be it, but it’ll never be my preference.

Short of the long-shot of going to one of the P2, I’d prefer to poach from the XII & leave those clowns behind.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

The “Expanded Pac-12” clearly looks to be the stronger league, but I’d swap out ybU-p for Houston. Utah already has the “SLC” market, so we’d be better off trying going after what’s left of the “Houston” DMA (after A&M, Tex, Tx Tech, and LSU), than to scooping up the zoobie strands in Provo, Lehi, Payson, and Spanish Fork.

And it’s not like we need ybU-p to join to get their fans to watch Pac-X football. They’ll watch anyway — if for no other reason than to root for the other team, but what does that matter? We still get the Nielsen ratings, and that still drives up the value of our media cachet.

Don’t forget also how that school had never really been a very good partner to begin with. There’s a reason why everybody else in the MWC hated them, but not so for us or TCU. They have the arrogance of “Texas” but with a brand that doesn’t even measure up to us And putting that into perspective, the L.A. schools were the top brands, followed by the 2 flagship PacNW schools, and then Ariz St. We are — at best — 6th in the Pac-12, or 4th in the Pac-10 In the Pac-X, ybU-p would beat out Wazzu and Ore St. Would you put up with all those selfish, primadonna demands from Wazzu and Ore St. If not, then neither should you be expected to with some bush league midmajor school like ybU-p.