How will Colorado's potential departure affect Pac-12 TV deal? George Kilavkoff's optimistic wait might go in vain as UCLA & USC leave in 2024

The Pac-12 TV deal has been a hot target for Commissioner George Kliavkoff, who has been discussing it for a while. Their current deal with ESPN and Fox expires on July 1, 2024, and a lot of discussion has been based on the departure of the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. However, the potential impending departure of the Colorado Buffaloes could be a major holdup in the negotiations.

While speaking at the 2023 Pac-12 Media Day, Kliavkoff spoke about the process of how the conference is viewing getting the Pac-12 TV deal done.

"Getting the right deal has always been more important to our board and the conference has always been more important to our board and to the conference than getting the expeditious one." h/t CBS Sports

However, it could be soon that the Colorado Buffaloes, arguably the biggest program in the conference after 2024, decide to leave the conference as well.

Why would the Colorado Buffaloes leave before the Pac-12 TV deal?

There are definitely a few reasons, and the most significant would be the money. The Pac-12 paid out $37 million for each program in 2022, and that was the lowest of all the Power Five conferences.

The Colorado Buffaloes have also been rumored to be heading to the Big 12 and that could see a significant pay bump for the program.

Colorado Football Spring Game

If they were to stay in the Pac-12, they would be the big fish in a small pond. The Colorado brand with head coach Deion Sanders is bigger than what the conference will be once they get the Pac-12 TV deal.

Does UCLA and USC leaving the Pac-12 affect Colorado's chances of staying?

The departure of the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans, two of the biggest mainstays in the conference, is massive. However, it also tells the other teams in the conference that this could be a sinking ship.

With the Colorado Buffaloes having to wait to see what their 2024 and beyond distribution share will look like, they could jump to a conference like the Big 12 that is showing signs of growth.

Once UCLA and USC announced their decision to leave before the next Pac-12 TV deal was put into place, it became an uphill battle for the conference.

Colorado could understand and be the biggest piece in a conference rebuild, but that rarely happens, and they can make a lot more money by leaving the Pac-12 as soon as possible. It's not like they are not attractive for other conferences.