CFB analyst Joel Klatt explains how the Pac-12 failed to secure a media deal and lost its relevance in college football: "That didn't work"

The failure to secure a lucrative media deal plunged the Pac-12 into a series of crises over the last few months. The conference has recorded the mass exodus of its members, leaving the league with just four members and a future filled with uncertainties.

College football analyst Joel Klatt explained how the Pac-12 failed to secure a new media deal, which led to its loss of relevance in the landscape. Notably, the league eventually secured a streaming deal with Apple but many teams felt it didn't offer the right money and exposure.

“They tried to cobble together a streaming deal,” Joel Klatt said. “But that streaming deal was way too similar to that deal that I talked about in terms of their own network where they were relying on subscribers and interest to drive value and they had learned our lesson from a decade ago. That didn't work.”

The Pac-12 blew up its chances

The Pac-12 was reportedly offered a new deal by ESPN in 2022, which will pay the league around $30 million per school. However, the deal was rejected because the conference wanted more money. The Big 12 took advantage of that and sealed a deal around the same value with ESPN and Fox.

“There was one television deal left because the entire pie had been taken up by the NFL, Big Ten and SEC,” Joe Klatt said. “And so all the linear networks basically had enough money for one college conference to get a new television deal. The Big 12 beat the Pac-12 to that deal.”

Joel Klatt went on to reiterate the fact that a series of poor decisions over the course of time are responsible for the current situation of the league. This has seen many of its teams move to other Power Five leagues, thereby creating mega conferences in college football.

“So why did we get here a long string of dominoes? It wasn't one decision. It was a series of decisions that led to this moment in which the Pac-12 is on life support and we've got mega conferences now throughout college football.”

What's next for the Pac-12 in college football?

With just four members left, the only lifeline available for the Pac-12 to survive is an expansion. The addition of at least four teams from the Group of Five conferences will obviously sail the league to safety.

However, the expansion plan has internal hurdles to overcome. A failure to expand means the 2023–24 academic year will be the last for the Pac-12 in the world of college football. The clock is currently ticking on the conference.