Seems likely, but will depend upon "who" is playing. ESPN will triage for maximum viewership. For example, an FSU game will likely be competitive in the daytime slot, while some other middling-on-middling games will be fodder for filling up time slots as needed. I know I am stating the obvious, but I think it will be different, to some degree, from P12 After Dark.
Oxymoronic, as well. I know, it's a long shot, but I like keeping them as far from us as possible...at least for the foreseeable future. The vast majority of their fans are neither students nor alums, so they comport themselves in a wide range of behaviors not consistent with, uh, academe. Their unpleasantness shall not be missed. LOL.
Yeah, "humble"? No, it does not fit, so we must acquit.
Thanks Avi...nailed it as usual. My bottom line is that while there were indeed many external contributing factors, and it would be impossible to draw a clear causal line, the original sin was the attempt by the Pac 12 Network to go it alone, in contrast to the others...that action set up the other dominoes, if not pushing them over.
The article is great but leaves out fUCLA and U$C as the f'ers that ultimately dealt the death blow. If UCLA decided to not be the greedy the gimp of U$C...leaving some semblance of the LA market, we probably still have a Pac with a 40 million/year deal.
We've entered a new age of legally justified institutional and personal greed in college sports. Be careful what you wish for; it might end what you love.
Agreed. A “conference” of 12 can not survive, or negotiate anything when 2 of its important members secretly defect to a different “conference”. All the other factors pointed out by Avi are true, but if the 12 stuck together this would not have happened. Same is true of any sports team. Ironic that sports is all about “the team” but this team (the PAC12) died because of lack of teamwork. I would have expected this out of USC. But the Bruins were turncoats and showed why we at Cal have always called them “the baby Bruins”. Go Bears!!
My hope is pinned on the AD position and the change needed right there in that role. We need somebody in that role who can play the game of big time college football right. I'm feeling good about everybody else, from President Drake to Rich Lyons to Justin Wilcox to Bloesch and Sirmon to the assistant coaches to the players and to our donor pool. It feels like Cal is on a one year trial this year to prove it wants to be part of big time college football. The one role I do not feel good about in this right now is the AD.
I'm really hoping Cal can break out this year as a program and start playing the big game of college football the way it must be played today. Of course, I wish they didn't have to. But things have changed and the demise of the Pac-12 symbolizes that change. It's a new world now. But even this new world can change again. But it feels like in order for Cal Football to stay intact until that sweet day, they'll need to first succeed in today's world.
Very thorough take on all of the contributing factors. But despite all of the errors and preferences, I have to wonder if the combination of location in the two least-populated time zones and those time zones being later in the day are insurmountable in this era where eyeballs on TV matter (vs the old days when only a handful of games were on TV). Between ACC, Big10, Big12, and SEC, Noon Eastern and Midnight Eastern, a huge number of competitive games to consider watching are available. On top of these are the lesser conference games where alumni and other supporters would watch before they considered watching a game involving two west coast teams not ranked in top 25. While perhaps a real issue for any true student-athlete who has a major involving labs and in-person group work, the new cross-country conference structures in the ACC for Cal, Stanford, and SMU and in the Big10 for the LA schools and Oregon and UW might actually be the only way to have any kind of substantial TV interest east from Dallas in our games. Unless all you do is watch college sports and have no other life, you only have so much time to watch games and the ones you are most likely to watch involve competitive matchups involving at least one team in your own conference followed by competitive games between teams in other conferences if they are ranked in Top 25....and maybe early in the season, an out of conference team your team is going to play.
There is probably a compromise in between. I think the West Coast schools do have to play more out East to ensure maximum viewership and visibility. But there is no way it'll be sustainable to these programs to play over half of their schedule shipping themselves out East. The travel costs for every program are set to skyrocket. I do suspect folding in smaller versions of the Pac-12 into the future mega conference structure is the way.
A great article except for this quote: "Now the fans, the alumni, the players must all pay for their mistakes with more travel and bumpy futures ahead."
I think it's wrong to put this on the fans, alumni and especially the players. What 'mistakes' exactly? Saying it's the players fault we got to this point? C'mon. That's not a fair or reasonable burden to put on 18-22 yr olds. And just from reading all the posts by fans and alumni over the years, there is only so much we can do. I'm writing as one of the endowment seat holders.
I think the sentence was poorly structured, and I read this as the fans, alum, and players must pay for the mistakes of the many incompetent layers above (e.g., school admin, Pac12 leadership).
I think as fans, we're hoping that Cal ends up joining a Big Ten West. The reality is probably more likely that Cal becomes a relegated team competing closer with the Fresno States or UC Davis of the world than remain in top tier competition (e.g., Power 2 or 3 conferences when the dust settles).
That's a possibility if the major conferences all jettison their lower tier programs. There is a huge money gap between the power conferences and Group of 5 conferences so that would result in media deals somewhere in between. Sort of like the D1A-D1AA split.
I wouldn't be too upset at this outcome as long as the money is adequate. At some point the treadmill either stops or schools need a way off.
The video is a slap in the face to ASU. You did not represent any of the exceptionalism that is ASU!
RIP. Can't wait to reunite!
Pac12AfterDark has to continue right? Networks still want to fill the day and there will be all the west coast games to choose from
Seems likely, but will depend upon "who" is playing. ESPN will triage for maximum viewership. For example, an FSU game will likely be competitive in the daytime slot, while some other middling-on-middling games will be fodder for filling up time slots as needed. I know I am stating the obvious, but I think it will be different, to some degree, from P12 After Dark.
Nice eulogy and prayer for a reunion.
“ Yes, even those heathens from Troy.”
Uh, IMHO, they are dead to us. We shall see how they fare, though. They may be humbled by their new conference.
You need enemies in college football. Gotta fill the passion buckets.
IMHO, they have crossed too many lines. Their fans are insufferable. Yes, passion, but within reason.
Humble and U$C is a paradox.
Oxymoronic, as well. I know, it's a long shot, but I like keeping them as far from us as possible...at least for the foreseeable future. The vast majority of their fans are neither students nor alums, so they comport themselves in a wide range of behaviors not consistent with, uh, academe. Their unpleasantness shall not be missed. LOL.
Yeah, "humble"? No, it does not fit, so we must acquit.
The selfish conduct of USC [to be expected], and Ucla [a betrayal], were also elements of the demise of the conference.
Thanks Avi...nailed it as usual. My bottom line is that while there were indeed many external contributing factors, and it would be impossible to draw a clear causal line, the original sin was the attempt by the Pac 12 Network to go it alone, in contrast to the others...that action set up the other dominoes, if not pushing them over.
The article is great but leaves out fUCLA and U$C as the f'ers that ultimately dealt the death blow. If UCLA decided to not be the greedy the gimp of U$C...leaving some semblance of the LA market, we probably still have a Pac with a 40 million/year deal.
We've entered a new age of legally justified institutional and personal greed in college sports. Be careful what you wish for; it might end what you love.
“ If UCLA decided to not be the greedy the gimp of U$C”
I’m dying laughing 🤣
Agreed. A “conference” of 12 can not survive, or negotiate anything when 2 of its important members secretly defect to a different “conference”. All the other factors pointed out by Avi are true, but if the 12 stuck together this would not have happened. Same is true of any sports team. Ironic that sports is all about “the team” but this team (the PAC12) died because of lack of teamwork. I would have expected this out of USC. But the Bruins were turncoats and showed why we at Cal have always called them “the baby Bruins”. Go Bears!!
My hope is pinned on the AD position and the change needed right there in that role. We need somebody in that role who can play the game of big time college football right. I'm feeling good about everybody else, from President Drake to Rich Lyons to Justin Wilcox to Bloesch and Sirmon to the assistant coaches to the players and to our donor pool. It feels like Cal is on a one year trial this year to prove it wants to be part of big time college football. The one role I do not feel good about in this right now is the AD.
I'm really hoping Cal can break out this year as a program and start playing the big game of college football the way it must be played today. Of course, I wish they didn't have to. But things have changed and the demise of the Pac-12 symbolizes that change. It's a new world now. But even this new world can change again. But it feels like in order for Cal Football to stay intact until that sweet day, they'll need to first succeed in today's world.
Very thorough take on all of the contributing factors. But despite all of the errors and preferences, I have to wonder if the combination of location in the two least-populated time zones and those time zones being later in the day are insurmountable in this era where eyeballs on TV matter (vs the old days when only a handful of games were on TV). Between ACC, Big10, Big12, and SEC, Noon Eastern and Midnight Eastern, a huge number of competitive games to consider watching are available. On top of these are the lesser conference games where alumni and other supporters would watch before they considered watching a game involving two west coast teams not ranked in top 25. While perhaps a real issue for any true student-athlete who has a major involving labs and in-person group work, the new cross-country conference structures in the ACC for Cal, Stanford, and SMU and in the Big10 for the LA schools and Oregon and UW might actually be the only way to have any kind of substantial TV interest east from Dallas in our games. Unless all you do is watch college sports and have no other life, you only have so much time to watch games and the ones you are most likely to watch involve competitive matchups involving at least one team in your own conference followed by competitive games between teams in other conferences if they are ranked in Top 25....and maybe early in the season, an out of conference team your team is going to play.
There is probably a compromise in between. I think the West Coast schools do have to play more out East to ensure maximum viewership and visibility. But there is no way it'll be sustainable to these programs to play over half of their schedule shipping themselves out East. The travel costs for every program are set to skyrocket. I do suspect folding in smaller versions of the Pac-12 into the future mega conference structure is the way.
“HOPE IS A GOOD THING, MAYBE THE BEST OF THINGS, AND NO GOOD THING EVER DIES.”
A great article except for this quote: "Now the fans, the alumni, the players must all pay for their mistakes with more travel and bumpy futures ahead."
I think it's wrong to put this on the fans, alumni and especially the players. What 'mistakes' exactly? Saying it's the players fault we got to this point? C'mon. That's not a fair or reasonable burden to put on 18-22 yr olds. And just from reading all the posts by fans and alumni over the years, there is only so much we can do. I'm writing as one of the endowment seat holders.
I think the sentence was poorly structured, and I read this as the fans, alum, and players must pay for the mistakes of the many incompetent layers above (e.g., school admin, Pac12 leadership).
Correct!
That definitely makes more sense. Admittedly, I'm sensitive to anything implying we don't do enough or should be giving more (time, money, etc).
I think Cal may eventually join a Big Ten West. It's just hard to know when or how because of so many ongoing changes.
I think as fans, we're hoping that Cal ends up joining a Big Ten West. The reality is probably more likely that Cal becomes a relegated team competing closer with the Fresno States or UC Davis of the world than remain in top tier competition (e.g., Power 2 or 3 conferences when the dust settles).
That's a possibility if the major conferences all jettison their lower tier programs. There is a huge money gap between the power conferences and Group of 5 conferences so that would result in media deals somewhere in between. Sort of like the D1A-D1AA split.
I wouldn't be too upset at this outcome as long as the money is adequate. At some point the treadmill either stops or schools need a way off.
Very good piece