Greg McElroy says Pac-12 could be a ‘dead man walking’

With the recent rumors that Colorado and Arizona are on their way out of the Pac-12 conference, some believe the end is near. One of those individuals is college football expert and former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy. During a recent episode of Always College Football, McElroy spelled out just how close the end is for the once-prestigious conference.

“Are they a dead man walking? Certainly feels that way at the moment,” said McElroy. “You (possibly) lose Colorado, (and) you lose Arizona; what’s going to happen if, for whatever reason, the Big Ten or the Big 12 for that matter, want to take Washington (and) Oregon? Guess what? The money that’s being handed out in the Pac-12 is only $25 million per school. Well, in the Big-12, they’re doubling that potentially with their new deal. So why would Oregon (and) Washington not strongly consider joining the Big 12, even if it’s just for a little bit before they ultimately get the invite to the Big Ten?”

The Big Ten conference has vetted both Oregon and Washington, but an offer has yet to be issued to either institution. It is still being determined as to the reason why, but McElroy does not believe the schools will be joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten. His belief is that if Oregon and Washington were to join the conference, it would have happened already while the Pac-12 is in flux.

As the college football expert continued, he highlighted one of the most significant issues causing strife in the Pac-12 right now. And that is the ongoing battle for the media rights over the conference. And even that issue is linked to another Power-5 conference that is dealing with some problems with their media deal.

“Think about the Pac-12 too. The people that are bidding on their rights are having a difficult time getting teams to sign a grant of rights deal. They want to end up like the ACC, where ACC schools are all tied up for 12 years and can’t do anything. So the schools are saying, I’m outside of that. I’m not signing up to be in the Pac-12 for an extended period of time. These schools leave; we’re out too. And the next thing you know, the Pac-12 will collapse upon itself like a dying star.

“It’s a really difficult situation to be in if you’re George Kliavkoff. I’m not envious of his situation. It’s a difficult spot. They’re still quality football players, still quality teams, (and) they’re still quality brands. But right now, they are getting left in the dust by every other member of the college football world.”

The Pac-12 commissioner has a lot on his hands right now, and that will not go away anytime soon. With the realignment of conferences in college football, it is sure to be more movement on the way. Unfortunately, unlike the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, the Pac-12 has yet to make any moves to acquire more teams into their conference. And by the time Kliavkoff makes a move, it may be too late for them.

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