Oregon report on expansion/realiginment, media partners

[PonyPride]

John Canzano, a longtime columnist for The Oregonian who now is at Substack and also a prominent Portland sports radio guy, reports the Big 12 has had “multiple conversations” with Fresno State, while the Pac-12 has had limited contact with the Bulldogs. On Pac-12 expansion candidates, Canzano states “the expansion decision will be driven by media value,” identifying San Diego State and SMU, given their respective markets, and Rice, given the Houston market, as well as UNLV, which has “fewer than 1 million TV households in Las Vegas, but the Pac-12 may covet the market’s sponsorship dollars.”

On reports of CBS/Turner being out of the Pac-12 media rights race, a source tells Canzano: “I don’t know that CBS and Turner were ever actually in.” As the Pac-12 media rights negotiations continue, Amazon is “holding out for the best game matchups and best financial terms.”

Meanwhile, Bay Area (California) columnist John Wilner also sets the odds of expansion at 50% for no expansion, 40% for adding two schools and 10% for adding four.

[ponyboy]

I am very confident this will get done. It all comes down to which of Amazon or ESPN will be able to secure the right to choose the best weekly matchup. That is the only material hold up, per my understanding.

[EastStang]

Gee, why don't they alternate weeks.

[laxdawg97]

John Canzano, a longtime columnist for The Oregonian who now is at Substack and also a prominent Portland sports radio guy, reports the Big 12 has had “multiple conversations” with Fresno State, while the Pac-12 has had limited contact with the Bulldogs. On Pac-12 expansion candidates, Canzano states “the expansion decision will be driven by media value,” identifying San Diego State and SMU, given their respective markets, and Rice, given the Houston market, as well as UNLV, which has “fewer than 1 million TV households in Las Vegas, but the Pac-12 may covet the market’s sponsorship dollars.”

On reports of CBS/Turner being out of the Pac-12 media rights race, a source tells Canzano: “I don’t know that CBS and Turner were ever actually in.” As the Pac-12 media rights negotiations continue, Amazon is “holding out for the best game matchups and best financial terms.”

Meanwhile, Bay Area (California) columnist John Wilner also sets the odds of expansion at 50% for no expansion, 40% for adding two schools and 10% for adding four.

Ever been to Fresno? Nice people, and good cuisine, but it feels more like Ames or Waco than LA or Dallas.

Fresno St is what Oregon St or WSU would be if they had spent the past generation in the G5, and its ceiling is what those two are today. SMU's ceiling is USC.

New money is held to different standards, and has to look the part, so to speak. Fresno doesn't, at least not to the P12.

[ponyboy]

I’ve always called Fresno the Lubbock of California. They’re similar in many ways.

[BUS]

Lubbock, that is fair or Amarillo.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Meanwhile, Bay Area (California) columnist John Wilner also sets the odds of expansion at: 50% for no expansion, 40% for adding two schools, and 10% for adding four.

odds of PAC-12 expansion is only 50%?
good grief where would that leave us?

[SMUstang]

$250,000 /10 = $300,000 / 12. If I were the PAC presidents and I didn't want to add any G5's, and I was looking at an Atlantic-Pacific Athletic Conference in 5 years or so. I might not want to expand either. The question is is Washington State and Oregon State equal to or greater than SMU and San Diego State in value to the PAC? It might be up to the legislatures to decide.

[BaylorHistory]

I’ve always called Fresno the Lubbock of California. They’re similar in many ways.

Come on now, Fresno has a metro pop over a million and is...

1 hr from Sequoia National Park
1 hr from Kings Canyon National Park
1 hr from Yosemite National Park
2.5 hr from the Pacific
3.5 hr from LA

Lubbock has a metro pop of 300k and is...a long way from anywhere.

Doesn't mean Fresno State should be invited anywhere but I'm picking Fresno over Lubbock everyday.

[jpe747]

Lubbock has prairie dog town.

[3rdGenPony]

...and a statue of the great Buddy Holly. (not that I have ever bothered to go there)

[BUS]

The skating rink he started in was torn down in the 90,s
Sad.

[JasonB]

I’ve always called Fresno the Lubbock of California. They’re similar in many ways.

Come on now, Fresno has a metro pop over a million and is...

1 hr from Sequoia National Park
1 hr from Kings Canyon National Park
1 hr from Yosemite National Park
2.5 hr from the Pacific
3.5 hr from LA

Lubbock has a metro pop of 300k and is...a long way from anywhere.

Doesn't mean Fresno State should be invited anywhere but I'm picking Fresno over Lubbock everyday.

The top suburb of Fresno is Los Banos. Enough said. We always had to play high school soccer tournaments in Fresno.

Beyond that, anyone who thinks that Cal will ever, ever, ever be affiliated with Fresno State doesn't know what they are talking about. It completely discredits anyone who even suggests that idea as a possibility.

[ponyboy]

Fresno is larger. And, yes, you can easily drive to Yosemite. But both Fresno and Lubbock are agricultural towns. The median income is nearly identical. Both are flat and boring. And both host mediocre state schools: Fresno State is #250 and Texas Tech #220 in US News rankings.

[DallasDiehard]

To me the line that jumps out is the 50% odds of no expansion. Isn't this train too far down the tracks to just stop now? At this point, isn't a matter of who moves, not IF someone moves?