June 30 is fast approaching

[SMUstang]

The June 30 deadline for giving notice of exit plans to leave the current conference for another in 2024 is fast approaching. Any word from the PAC?

[mtrout]

June 30 barely matters in reality. Exit fees from the conference will most likely be "negotiated down" either way.

[orguy]

June 30 barely matters in reality. Exit fees from the conference will most likely be "negotiated down" either way.

It certainly is relevant. Even negotiated buyouts are not exactly chump
change. Clearly the PAC has an overinflated view of itself. A deal should
have been done months ago.

[3rdGenPony]

I understand what you are saying about it barely mattering, but my goodness, the PAC-12 needs a deadline desperately. Some kind of sense of urgency needs to exist for a deal to be finalized. I doubt there are new avenues to explore at this point.

[redpony]

23 days left before SDSU needs to pay a premium to leave. IMO the PAC-?? media rights are in shambles.. First we were told a decision in Dec., then Jan. then.... I suspect they are struggling to get a reasonable deal plus perhaps some of the members have issues with signing a GOR for more than 2-3 yrs.
guess time will tell.

[peruna81]

The absolute worst scenario is remaining static in the now moribund AAC.
The second worst is moving to the "Big East 2" situation of a decaying PAC-whatever that will have a 3 year lifespan.

Patience, while a virtue, is in short supply at SMU...but it is all we have until there is movement and decisions by the current placeholders.

[SMUstang]

Cincinnati, UCF, and UH have had 10+ years to develop in the AAC. Give UAB, UTSA, and the others that much time and they could be as good or better. To say nothing about the markets they bring, and the AAC still has Memphis with 2 championships in football, Tulane with 1 championship, Temple with 1 championship, Navy, and SMU among others.

[Charleston Pony]

Other than a few years when Larry Brown had Moody rocking, SMU football and basketball has been pretty pathetic in the post death penalty era. I understand why the leftovers from the former SWC and Big 8 don't really want to compete with SMU as a conference mate. Most of us recall how we cheated better than they did back when we were all trying to buy the best teams we could. In the new era of NIL I can see how they might be having flashbacks. I'd personally like to be playing more regionally in the Big XII and I can't say I'm excited about our teams playing on the west coast with pacific starting times as a member of the PAC. I understand that for athletics, it's all about P5 money and for the Presidents and Chancellors it's about being aligned with more prestigious schools so if SMU does eventually end up in the PAC, then fine, but with the way our programs appear to be trending, it sure would be nice to win some conference championships and become relevant on a national stage. We've seen that is possible at the G5 level so if the AAC remains home for a while longer, I just hope Our coaches can put together rosters that can compete at a high level. Those years under Larry Brown sure were fun.

[orguy]

Definitely excited about our teams playing on the West Coast!

[panhandle_pony]

Travel to Palo Alto and watch Ponies play Cardinal, or travel to ECU? Hmmmm, let me think about that for a nano second.

[Charleston Pony]

Part of my point is that, like it or not, the majority of the U.S. population lives in the eastern time zone and a relatively small percentage lives in the pacific time zone and that is one of the factors that is killing the PAC in terms of their national relevance. Everyone seems to be salivating about joining the PAC and being in a P5 conference, but obviously any of the remaining PAC 10 members would jump at the chance to be associated with their former conference mates and benefit from the eastern time zone money because when all is said and done, that's what it's all about. I hope it all works out for SMU in the end but we really messed up in overreacting to the death penalty and not appreciating the importance of athletics.

[orguy]

The PAC was fine for years. Thank greed loving PR folk like Larry Scott for
the Pac's woes in the post USC NC era. Failure of the PAC presidents to fire
that arrogant jerk has led to the current situation. The loss of UCLA and SC
was massive but it may have opened a door for SMU

To Country Golf guy from Carolina: sensing quite a bit of anti West bias in your
post. Important to remember that California contributes far more students to
SMU's current undergrad population than the Carolinas. Careful with your comments
as they are ill informed at best.

[Charleston Pony]

The PAC was fine for years. Thank greed loving PR folk like Larry Scott for
the Pac's woes in the post USC NC era. Failure of the PAC presidents to fire
that arrogant jerk has led to the current situation. The loss of UCLA and SC
was massive but it may have opened a door for SMU

To Country Golf guy from Carolina: sensing quite a bit of anti West bias in your
post. Important to remember that California contributes far more students to
SMU's current undergrad population than the Carolinas. Careful with your comments
as they are ill informed at best.

I have 3 brothers living in California, one of which is a member of the USC faculty. It's not that I have any personal bias against CA, it's just that as someone living on the east coast, I'm well aware of how many people here don't give much respect to PAC football in particular. Part of that bias comes from the fact that west coast night games don't start until a lot of east coasters are already football saturated after watching SEC, ACC & Big 10 games all day. Never thought it was fair, but it's just a fact that half the country doesn't stay up to watch those games, some of which are premium PAC match ups. I do tend to pull for PAC teams vs Big 10 in Rose Bowl games, especially if Ohio State is involved. I will admit that I did not like it when SMU was in the WAC and our games in Hawaii started at midnight for me so I'm just not as excited as most people are about being an outlier in the PAC.

[Topper]

The PAC was fine for years. Thank greed loving PR folk like Larry Scott for
the Pac's woes in the post USC NC era. Failure of the PAC presidents to fire
that arrogant jerk has led to the current situation. The loss of UCLA and SC
was massive but it may have opened a door for SMU

To Country Golf guy from Carolina: sensing quite a bit of anti West bias in your
post. Important to remember that California contributes far more students to
SMU's current undergrad population than the Carolinas. Careful with your comments
as they are ill informed at best.

I have 3 brothers living in California, one of which is a member of the USC faculty. It's not that I have any personal bias against CA, it's just that as someone living on the east coast, I'm well aware of how many people here don't give much respect to PAC football in particular. Part of that bias comes from the fact that west coast night games don't start until a lot of east coasters are already football saturated after watching SEC, ACC & Big 10 games all day. Never thought it was fair, but it's just a fact that half the country doesn't stay up to watch those games, some of which are premium PAC match ups. I do tend to pull for PAC teams vs Big 10 in Rose Bowl games, especially if Ohio State is involved. I will admit that I did not like it when SMU was in the WAC and our games in Hawaii started at midnight for me so I'm just not as excited as most people are about being an outlier in the PAC.

I have always felt that SMU would be a better fit in the ACC. But from what I understand, it is doubtful that the ACC will create an opening unless the whole league implodes in which case what would be the point? I'm one of those who usually spends my Saturday a.m. running errands, afternoons watching FB, going out in the evening, and when I settle back in at home enjoy late night PAC sports. So it won't bother me if we make it into the PAC, the only decent possibility saving us from the shame of playing in UNT's conference.

[SMUstang]

My assessment of playing in the PAC.
Advantages
1. Athletic Department will have more money to spend for things like travel, salaries, and uniforms/equipment.
2. SMU will have more money to use for athletics.
3. Prestige and recruiting opportunities will be improved.

Disadvantages
1. Depending on the media rights contract, the central and eastern time zone fans will see less of SMU on TV and the starting times will be less convenient.
2. The student athletes will spend more time traveling instead of in class or on personal time.

Unknown
1. Conference championships, New Years Day Bowls, and CFP opportunities.