Despite losing Colorado to Big 12, Kliavkoff commits hard for the Pac-12 media deal; releases fresh statement

The fate of the Pac-12 media deal is a question that has been on the mind of many since it became clear that Colorado is moving to the Big 12, especially when observers saw it coming.

But among those who were oblivious about it, or at least appeared so, was Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. At the Pac-12 Media Day last week, he was confident about the commitment of the conference members and the imminence of a media rights deal.

Kliavkoff said at the event:

“Our schools are committed to each other and to the Pac-12. We’ll get our media rights deal done. We’ll announce the deal.”

Even though he now appears to be wrong about the commitment of member schools, Kliavkoff remains confident about the Pac-12 media deal.

The media rights deal takes priority over all other things for Kliavkoff, even amidst the confusion that Colorado's exit is generating in the conference. Reacting to the move, the conference said in a recent statement:

"We remain committed to our shared values and to continuing to invest in our student-athletes. Today's decision by the University of Colorado has done nothing to disrupt that commitment. We are focused on concluding our media rights deal and securing our continued success and growth."

This might have been reassuring if said in a different context. But after all previous reassurances have yielded no results, Pac-12 schools and fans need greater convincing.

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What does the Pac-12 media deal have to do with expansion?

Pac-12 Championship - Utah vs. USC

George Kliavkoff has failed, so far, to put out the fire started by the announcement of USC and UCLA's exits in July 2022. Plans to replace the two marquee programs have been hinged on the conference securing a new media rights deal as the current one expires in 2024.

However, a new Pac-12 media deal has remained elusive, casting a shadow of uncertainty over its future. A few schools were rumored to be in line to join the conference in June.

San Diego State had even kickstarted the process of leaving the Mountain West. But it all never materialized as no media rights deal was in place. Even now, with a further depleted membership, Kliavkoff is saying:

"Immediately following the conclusion of our media rights deal, we will embrace expansion opportunities and bring new fans, markets, excitement and value to the Pac-12."

But can a Pac-12 media deal be secured with a reduced membership strength?

Perhaps the conference should have followed the Big 12 model. After it was hit with Texas and Oklahoma's move to the Big Ten, its first reaction was to obtain four new members in their place. A media rights deal followed in 2022, and now it's expanding further.

The possibility of an immediate Pac-12 media deal continues to look bleak.