Pac-12 dominos may start falling

By JUDAH NEWBY, 750 The Game

The Pac-12 CEO group is scheduled to meet next Tuesday.

They will not meet again until April 10.

Media rights and expansion remain at the top of the agenda and John Canzano says the finish line could be in sight.

“I do think there’s some motivation from the presidents and chancellors to wrap this,” Canzano said on 750 The Game.

Canzano said that he expects new players like Amazon and Apple to be part of the media deal in addition to ESPN.

“I do think what’s going to happen is I think the Pac-12 is going to end up with ESPN for its Tier 1 rights, I think you’re going to see Apple and Amazon come in with a streaming service for the Tier 2 rights – the Pac-12 Networks games – I think it will be blended together.”

The Pac-12 has said that media rights would be negotiated in front of expansion, but Canzano says he wouldn’t be surprised to see a leak on the expansion front involving San Diego State and/or SMU.

“I think we might get that [expansion leak] before we get the actual media rights news,” Canzano said.

Should the Pac-12 successfully announce expansion into southern California with San Diego State and the state of Texas with SMU, while also securing media rights valued in a range comparable or surpassing the Big 12’s most recent deal, Canzano says folks in Big 12 country will not be happy.

“I just don’t think that the chicken littles out there that are looking at the sky, saying ‘oh the Pac-12’s imploding, oh, the imminent demise!’, I think in the end they’re going to end up holding the bag.”

“I don’t see the ’12-anons’ – the Q-anon Big 12 people – I don’t see the ’12-anons’ walking away from this feeling very good.”

Listen to Canzano’s full comments on Wednesday’s radio show right here:

John Canzano delivers the Bald Faced Truth now in afternoons 3-6 p.m. exclusively in Portland on 750 The Game.