A Superconference? Obstacles Remain for the Pac-12]
The process of the four universities heading west is expected to play out over the next 7 to 10 days, but three significant steps must be taken before any type of deal can be consummated.
First, the Texas regents must approve of the deal when they meet Monday. (Oklahoma’s regents have made their interest known. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are a package deal with Oklahoma and Texas.)
The second factor is completing the details of the new 16-team league, including the alignment of the divisions and how Texas’ Longhorn Network would fold into the Pac-12’s television contract structure. This will require intensive work for Scott, ESPN and Texas to see how things can be settled financially and in terms of branding, and still meet the approval of the Pac-12 presidents.
Once those issues are settled to a point where Scott can take the expansion possibility to his presidents, the third hurdle will be whether they approve the additions. (Scott has not addressed the issue with them yet, according to the Pac-12 official.)
This is not a given, because a majority of the presidents were not in favor of expanding as of last week. Arizona and Arizona State are concerned about losing a toehold in Los Angeles by potentially playing fewer games against U.C.L.A. and U.S.C. The newest members, Colorado and Utah, are worried that they made a move west and could now be placed in a division that would limit their exposure on the West Coast. (Colorado’s president, Bruce Benson, made his concerns public to The Denver Post.)
There are worries over the size of the league, the academic reputation of Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and a philosophical concern over why the league needs to grow more in the wake of the blockbuster television contract signed this year.
And while some of those challenges looked difficult to overcome a week ago, especially when only Oklahoma and Oklahoma State appeared headed out west, the landscape has changed drastically. The A.C.C.’s additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East and bump to a 14-team conference has seemingly opened the door for other universities to move.
Armageddon Approaches.
