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Arizona's move to the Big 12 is happening, with the Pac-12 losing another program. The decision came down to one thing and one thing only: money. The values that the universities get from the conference's media rights deals are significant to the team's future.
USA Today's Ralph D. Russo wrote a piece on Tuesday about the Pac-12 media deal and included this interesting nugget of information:
"Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has been blunt about the conference's desire to expand West, with Pac-12 schools as obvious expansion targets. ... The Big 12 agreed last fall to a six-year extension on its media right deal with ESPN and Fox that will pay each school about $32 million per year.
"That deal has not been officially announced, but it set a measuring stick for the Pac-12 in its pursuit of an agreement many hope will keep the league together for at least another five or six years."
Sometimes it is not a huge difference of money that swings a university, like Arizona to the Big 12, a new conference. The $7 million is a lot of money but not insurmountable, but teams are going to go to the brighter future, which is not the Pac-12 right now.
Does the Arizona move to the Big 12 signify the end of the Pac-12?
Arizona's move to the Big 12 is another strong body shot to the Pac-12 as it tries to stumble to a media rights deal. Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff has to realize things are bleak as everything from a media rights deal to streaming old games on Twitch is getting destroyed online. If it can sign a decent-sized media rights deal, the conference will have a chance at a new life.
The conference has lost six programs in the last 18 months with the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans joining the Big Ten while the Colorado Buffaloes, Washington Huskies, Oregon Ducks and now the Arizona Wildcats all joining the Big 12.
Those are huge blows, and there is still not a media rights deal signed, sealed and delivered. It is difficult to kill off a Power Five conference, but the Pac-12 seems to be getting the plug pulled even more every time a news story drops.
Arizona's move to the Big 12 was not the final straw, but it continues to look terrible. What media company wants to get in bed with the Pac-12 that is experiencing a mass exodus?
