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Pac-12 & DiStefano - Wilner Hotline

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
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This was a good read (new Wilner newsletter) on Dr. Phil's efforts to improve what's been going on with the Pac-12 to position the conference for the media negotiations in 4 years.

The Path to the Jackpot

When Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano talks, the Hotline listens. We listen and we parse and we ponder what it all means.

DiStefano is the boss of the bosses, the head of the Pac-12’s CEO board — the group of presidents and chancellors that run the conference.

DiStefano’s tenure began last summer and has been marked by noticeable upturns in transparency (with conference business) and collaboration (between the conference office and the campuses). He has been visible and accountable and remarkably forthcoming, especially compared to his predecessors.

The latest example came last week, in the form of an interview with the Denver Post’s Sean Keeler.

The full Q&A is here and well worth your time.

Three highlights:
1. DiStefano praised commissioner Larry Scott’s willingness to adjust his management style and said there is no rush to make a determination on Scott’s contract extension. (The existing deal expires in 2022.)

2. The presidents and chancellors are focused on the search for a strategic partner and positioning the Pac-12 to cash in with the next media rights cycle (beginning in 2024-25).

3. The campuses share the burden with the conference when it comes to finding new sources of revenue.
“Obviously, if we’re winning," DiStefano said, "we’re going to get more people in the stadium — that’s going to produce more revenue.”

As the Hotline has noted in the past, No. 3 could have a significant impact on No. 2:

The Pac-12 desperately needs a strong football product when the conference enters negotiations with potential media partners in the winter or early spring of 2023.

It needs teams in the playoff and teams in the top 10 and teams drawing eyeballs and making headlines across the country in order to maximize the value of its most lucrative brand.

(Football content accounts for roughly 80 cents of every TV dollar in rights negotiations, with men’s basketball worth 20 cents. And it could be closer to a 90-10 split in the Pac-12.)

Let’s recall the situation leading up to the $3 billion deal with ESPN and Fox, which was signed in the spring of 2011:
• USC was just a few years removed from its dynasty and still a major attraction nationwide.
• Oregon was revolutionizing college football under Chip Kelly and fresh off a season in which the Ducks played for the national championship.
• Stanford was the darling of the sport after its spectacular rise to the Orange Bowl with Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck.
• The Ducks and Cardinal would finish the 2010 season ranked in the top five, with Kelly and Luck and Oregon tailback LaMichael James and USC quarterback Matt Barkley all coming back for more the following season.

The conference was loaded with big names and good stories and elite teams at just the right time, and the networks were willing to pay for the product.

(It was good timing in another regard: Comcast, which hadn't been a major player for college sports rights, jumped in with a bid for the Pac-12 and drove up the price for ESPN and Fox.)

The pairing of success on the field and at the negotiating table in 2010-11 would seem to indicate the next few years are vital for the long term:

The conference needs a thriving football brand — playoff teams and top-10 rankings and Heisman finalists — leading up to the early-2023 negotiating window.

Success at that level requires proper execution by the campuses and the conference office. It also requires time, but there isn’t as much as you might think: The Pac-12 has four seasons to position itself for the jackpot. — Jon Wilner.
 
Dr. Phil is a classic politician in my opinion. He puts his finger in the air to see where the wind is blowing before he makes a call. Fortunately, his P12 post calls for him to be pro-athletics, so I actually think he'll be alright for the job.
 
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The Pac-12 desperately needs a strong football product when the conference enters negotiations with potential media partners in the winter or early spring of 2023.

Let’s recall the situation leading up to the $3 billion deal with ESPN and Fox, which was signed in the spring of 2011:
• USC was just a few years removed from its dynasty and still a major attraction nationwide.
• Oregon was revolutionizing college football under Chip Kelly and fresh off a season in which the Ducks played for the national championship.
• Stanford was the darling of the sport after its spectacular rise to the Orange Bowl with Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck.

I think the story could have been cut down to these few facts. There is no great coach or great program apparent in the Pac-12 today. I doubt Stanford has the chops to repeat what they did under Harbaugh, UO is a yet-to-be-seen program that is making a little noise, and UW is the best program in a down cycle but they do not impress me as being a national player. The South remains a hot grease fire and there is a big opportunity for Tucker to lead CU to national relevancy again. USC of course could hire Urban Meyer in seven months and the window of opportunity will be slammed shut, they are one coaching hire away from being a perpetual Top 4 program.
 
I think the story could have been cut down to these few facts. There is no great coach or great program apparent in the Pac-12 today. I doubt Stanford has the chops to repeat what they did under Harbaugh, UO is a yet-to-be-seen program that is making a little noise, and UW is the best program in a down cycle but they do not impress me as being a national player. The South remains a hot grease fire and there is a big opportunity for Tucker to lead CU to national relevancy again. USC of course could hire Urban Meyer in seven months and the window of opportunity will be slammed shut, they are one coaching hire away from being a perpetual Top 4 program.
Is Urban going to be priority #1 for SC? They desperately need an established coaching star, IMO.
 
While it makes absolute sense to anyone that can see straight, USC has Lynn Swann at the helm so no telling what direction he'll go.
That's a good point. If Swann is still in charge in December of this year, how would he feel about not being the star at SC anymore? They (or the Pac 12) can't afford another coaching miss
 
That's a good point. If Swann is still in charge in December of this year, how would he feel about not being the star at SC anymore? They (or the Pac 12) can't afford another coaching miss
U$C can die for 25 more years. Someone else can carry the torch for the conference, it doesn't have to be the condoms
 
I’d prefer USC suck. But I’d also prefer CU not suck and get lots of revenue. So I’m willing to watch USC not suck if that means we get to ride on their success. We need them to be good, nobody has the pull for recruits that they do.
 
I’m fine with USC being the flagship of the P12 after CU beats them.


Thirteen times in a row.
I would love for CU to be to USC what Michigan State is to Michigan in the BIG. A division rival that is clearly a lesser program, historically, but routinely beats them.

Note: I thought about Ohio State for this comp, but nobody in the BIG has really had much consistent success against them in recent years.
 
I would love for CU to be to USC what Michigan State is to Michigan in the BIG. A division rival that is clearly a lesser program, historically, but routinely beats them.

Grampa Snyder did that to Texas for a while.....even Mack's good teams went a decade or something without beating KSU....though i guess that was across the old Big XII divisions....so some scheduling wrinkle there. i did kind of enjoy that, though.
 
Don't worry Tucker will take CU to the promised land and the Pac-12 will get a nice cushy contract. It'd be hard for the Pac-12 opposing fans and schools to hate us.
 
Coach Tucker leading Colorado back to national prominence is what is best for us. Coach needs to keep us there (I believe he will ) and if anyone else in the confrence tries to hang and come along well all the better. Being the Class, and Power of the Pac is what is needed for the league. When we are back in the top 10 the east coasters who love the buffs will take the Pac off the back page. Hopefully it leads to direct tv and the Pac to the table. Screw the condoms, COLORADO FOOTBALL is going to be the ALPHA DOG for the Pac going forward, THIS is what is BEST!
 
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