College Football: Pac-12 Conference

[Löwenherz]

Sooooooooo...You're proposing a "Pac 14"????

Your list looks pretty good to me, but I'd add CSUS (Sacramento State) to "Pac West", and go out there and recruit another to join "Pac East".

Sure, PAC ‘em in!

The keys are: No real deadweight dregs (Although UNLV would look better than Utah State), represents arguably the best teams available outside Power 4, and regional divisions limit extensive travel.

To illustrate, here is a mock schedule in this imaginary league for Memphis, which cited extensive travel as a negative determining factor in rejecting the initial offer:

Memphis Mock Schedule

Middle Tennessee (Non-Conference)
Troy (Non-Conference)
@Florida State (Non-Conference)
@USF
Washington State
@Houston (Non-Conference)
@Colorado State
UTSA
San Diego State
@Bosie State
UConn
@Tulane

With that system every team (except UConn) has only 1 to 2 road game flights over 5 hours a season. Much better than Cal and Stanford in the ACC.

It’s important to emphasize, the AAC 4 and UConn already rejected an offer, and GCU is only rumored to have interest. Does Gonzaga change the calculus on that? We’ll have to wait a few months until after the media rights evaluation:

Link: PAC-12 Pausing Expansion Efforts

Regardless, I don’t think it’s their aim to expand that much. At least not for now. I think they were targeting a “skinny rebuild” with 9 football members (WSU, OSU, SDSU, Boise, Colorado, Fresno, Memphis, Tulane, USF) plus Gonzaga for basketball, but had to pivot on the fly when the AAC teams rejected the offer.

I think they get their media rights evaluation, then use it to lure the two most valuable brands who will say yes, and top out at 9 members, so they can have 8 game conference schedules

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1841647075936878617

looks like it could host some MLS matches too. Just sayin

 

[KingsFanSince85]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1841647075936878617

looks like it could host some MLS matches too. Just sayin

When news first broke a week or two ago about a new stadium, a “co-tenant” was mentioned. It really couldn’t be anyone else but the Sac Republic. Perhaps the plan is for them to partner with Sac State for a few years (or more) until their Railyards plan pans out.

Makes sense to me.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Sac State as a mid-major sounds goofy, but I guess what the heck? The PAC needs one more, right? May as well add UC Davis so the big dogs can have two doormats.

Sac State has been a sleeping giant capable of being a really good FBS program for a long long while. It sits in the heart of a 2.5M metro area and a top 20 media market, with the closest D1 FBS programs being 85-125 miles away.

If they get the facilities built, get into the PAC12, and get this thing rolling — they won’t be a doormat for very long, if at all.

This region is chock full of talent, as evidenced by the Hornet football programs rise to prominence in the FCS the past 5 years. If they are FBS with 85 scholarships and NIL money to spend — a lot more of that talent stays put and they‘ll draw in even more SoCal talent than they already do.

With the basketball programs able to play their games at G1C, they should also be able to ascend until such time that an on-campus arena can be built.

This region has shown it will support top level sports. WRT collegiate sports, there’s no level above D1 FBS. The football program has been drawing in 12-20K in a substandard erector set facility with no restrooms. It’s not difficult to imagine the increased interest with a legit stadium and higher profile opponents coming here to play.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Figured that's the bandaid solution but they really do need their own arena I think if they can pull this off. It's so wild but I am all for it.

They are supposedly renovating the Well to play games there, but it isn’t ready. Even then, that’s not a long term or viable solution for Pac12.

I think they’ll play at G1C for a few years with the hope that the increased revenue and interest of the football program (first and foremost) being FBS, along with basketball and the other sports, will allow them to get a mid-sized arena/events center built on-campus.

 

[Löwenherz]

I have to apologize to the Hornets.

My youth spent in some dreadful summer football camps at Sac State decades ago colored my belief it was a podunk bottom-feeder program of the Big Sky conference.

Had no idea they’d become a veritable powerhouse to the FCS in the last 5 years.

Way to go Hornets. Stingers Up.

They’d be a great get for the Mountain West outright.

They could be a good addition to the PAC 12 too IF the conference secures splashier gets in Memphis, Tulane, etc first. Those AAC teams boost the all important media rights deal where I don’t think Sac State moves the needle.

The Hornets are probably on par with Texas State in that regard, except the Bobcats have the advantage of expanding the PAC 12 reach into Texas.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

looks like it could host some MLS matches too. Just sayin

This is a very sore spot in the soccer community. Especially if a game is played with football markings on the pitch, you will be torn to shreds as a class B franchise.

But realistically it is probably the path given MLS ridiculous expansion fee structure.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

I have to apologize to the Hornets.

My youth spent in some dreadful summer football camps at Sac State decades ago colored my belief it was a podunk bottom-feeder program of the Big Sky conference.

Had no idea they’d become a veritable powerhouse to the FCS in the last 5 years.

Way to got Hornets. Stingers Up.

Football won 3 consecutive Big Sky Championships up until last season. At least one of them was outright (not shared). And IIRC the university boasted 7 Big Sky Championships (all sports) just last season. The baseball program has consistently been good for many years.

IMO the big differences between decades past and the more recent 5 years is the flagship program (football) finally hiring the right head coach and winning consistently then hiring a forward thinking AD in Mark Orr then landing a President willing to act on the grand ambitions.

We’ll see how far it takes them. But at least the effort and willingness to take a risk is finally there.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

This is a very sore spot in the soccer community. Especially if a game is played with football markings on the pitch, you will be torn to shreds as a class B franchise.

But realistically it is probably the path given MLS ridiculous expansion fee structure.

I’ve heard/read conflicting reports about the field using turf or grass. If the Republic are going to be involved, my guess is they will use grass during the duration that the Republic is involved (they’d likely bear the most burden for maintenance) thus no football markings on the “pitch”.