The flurry of moves last week in the college sports landscape greatly expanded the future outlooks for two Power 5 conferences while signaling the end of another.
After patiently waiting for a new media deal as their fellow P5 conferences secured theirs, a few Pac-12 members took matters into their own hands.
Colorado returned to the Big 12, Oregon and Washington bounced to the Big 10, and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah joined Colorado in the Big 12.
The recent flurry of moves was actually initiated last year when then-Big 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren shocked the industry by prying USC and UCLA away from the Pac-12. Those additions helped seal the conference’s astounding seven-year, $7 billion+ media rights deal, which enabled the Big 10 to leapfrog the SEC and become the most powerful conference in college sports.
The Big 10 said it was done adding members, but smart people knew that wasn’t the case.
The explosive growth of college football and conference media rights demanded more, and the Big 10 and Big 12 were happy to oblige.
After Warren left to become the President and CEO of the Chicago Bears, the Big 12 hired Brett Yormark and the Big 10 eventually hired Tony Petitti.
And both men have been on the road ever since, leading to the Pac-12 becoming the Pac-4, and starting in 2024 the Big 12 becoming the Big 16 and the Big 10 the Big 18.
While it’s sad to see the demise of the Pac-12, it really comes as no surprise.
The money in college football is bigger, the demands are higher and the media landscape is evolving rapidly, which means that transformation had to happen.
And that’s why the Group of 5 conferences (G5) need to act now to secure their future, which can be very bright.
The G5 consists of the AAC, C-USA, the MAC, the MWC and the Sun Belt.
While not as nationally recognized as P5 conferences and programs, the teams are good and there are plenty of them- 61 in total.
And that’s why the G5, starting with the Mountain West Conference, should strike now.
The MWC, which has 12 members, should immediately try to bring the four remaining Pac-12 schools- Cal, Oregon St., Stanford and Washington St- into the conference. That would stabilize the standing of those four programs and elevate the MWC.
Once that happens, the new 65-member strong G5 conferences should convene and create their own College Football Playoff with a media partner like CBS, NBC or FOX.
For the naysayers out there, don’t say it’s impossible, especially after what we all witnessed last week.
Not only is it fathomable, it makes great business sense for all involved.
The MWC gets four new programs and can renegotiate its current six-year, $270 million media rights deal with CBS and FOX that runs through the 2025-26 academic year. The current deal pays each school roughly $4 million annually, a far cry from the double-digit payments P5 schools receive.
This benefits all 16 MWC teams.
For Cal, Oregon St., Stanford and Washington St., a move to the Mountain West means far less travel (based upon rumored discussions between Oregon St., Stanford and the ACC) and expenses. It would also create a stronger presence in markets that make geographical sense.
And this gives a G5 College Football Playoff more credibility, opportunity and leverage.
A G5 playoff system will support recruiting, as highly recruited talent in these markets will have more options for national recognition and NIL opportunities.
In addition, the allure of a G5 College Football Playoff means a media rights bidding war will ensue, which ultimately benefits all schools financially.
The Power 5 programs have made it clear that they don’t want G5 schools playing in their marquee event, so instead of fighting for acceptance, G5 schools should create their own national championship.
The money is there and the time is now for the AAC, C-USA, the MAC, the MWC and the Sun Belt to secure their futures.
The SEC, Big 10 and Big 12 didn’t wait, so neither should they.
