The offseason is definitely not the slow season as yet another week delivered news impacting both the Pac-12 legacy schools and other universities across the region.
Here are four developments you might have missed.
1. College Football Playoff discord as ACC, Big 12 dig in
Nitty gritty: During negotiations over the future version of the CFP, the ACC and Big 12 are creating alternatives to a proposed format that hands dominance of the event to the Big Ten and SEC.
Why it matters: The CFP is locked into the 12-team model for the upcoming season but has a blank slate starting in the fall of 2026. The Power Four commissioners favor expanding to 16 but disagree over the number of automatic qualifiers (AQs) from each conference.
The Big Ten and SEC want the AQs allocated using the so-called 4-4-2-2-1-3 model, with four bids guaranteed for the Big Ten and SEC, two for the ACC and Big 12, one for the top team from the Group of Five (including the rebuilt Pac-12) and three for at-large participants, with specific criteria for Notre Dame.
That format would ensure a minimum of eight spots to the Big Ten and SEC, with the possibility of at least two more (via the at-large path).
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, undoubtedly spurred on by their constituents, are resisting.
“I remain steadfast about fairness in the system and access,” Phillips told reporters this week during the ACC’s spring meetings at Amelia Island, Florida.
According to Yahoo, an alternate proposal features the 4-4-3-3-1-1 model, by which the Big Ten and SEC would have four AQs and the ACC and Big 12 would have three, with one to the Group of Five and one at-large (for Notre Dame).
Their prospects for success are slim. The Big Ten and SEC have the authority to set the format based on the CFP’s governance model for 2026 and beyond. But the resistance plays well politically with their constituents and could lead to a compromise of some sort.
The CFP is the most important event in the most important sport in college athletics. The future format will impact every team in every conference for years to come just as the entire sport enters the audition stage.
College football is likely to have a bifurcated structure in the 2030s, with upper and lower tiers. Any format that creates more access for the ACC and Big 12 in upcoming seasons could provide their members with a pathway to salvation in the next decade.
2. Saban skeptical of Trump’s commission on college athletics
Nitty gritty: Former Alabama coach Nick Saban said this week on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ on ESPN that he doesn’t “know a lot about the commission” and is “not sure we really need a commission.”
Why it matters: First and foremost, it provides everyone with a good laugh. Here’s one of the purported leaders of President Trump’s planned commission saying he doesn’t think the commission is necessary.
The contradiction perfectly encapsulates the state of college sports.
Also, it suggests the commission, while well publicized, remains in the formative stages. We don’t know the membership, the mission or the level of Trump’s engagement.
But we do know the extent of its authority: The commission cannot provide college sports with antitrust protection or codify NCAA rules. For those essential elements, congressional help is needed.
And that’s where the commission could prove beneficial: If it spurs lawmakers to lend structure to NIL rules and the transfer portal and shields the NCAA from lawsuits.
3. Pac-12 financial data reveal
Nitty gritty: The conference on Friday disclosed its federal tax filing for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The 10 departed schools received just $30.1 million (approximately) in distributions while Washington State and Oregon State collected $46.6 million, including $10 million (each) from the pot of cash acquired in the negotiated settlement over control of the conference.
Why it matters: The data provides context on the challenge for schools in their new homes.
While USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington collected $30.1 million in conference distributions, their new peers in the Big Ten received approximately $63.2 million.
While Arizona, ASU, Colorado and Utah collected $30.1 million, schools in the Big 12 received between $37.8 million and $42.1 million
While Stanford and Cal collected $30.1 million, schools in the ACC received between $43.1 million and $46.4 million.
(Distributions for the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten taken from a USA Today report.)
The revenue disparity affects the allocation of resources necessary for football success and increases the pressure on athletic department budgets that were already under stress.
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Pac-12 collapse: Tax filings show revenue drop, huge relocation costs Mailbag: SEC leads Big Ten, Big 12 in post-spring conference hierarchy NFL schedule process offers a model for college football in transfer portal era How NCAA vs. House settlement could benefit Oregon’s NIL with Nike deals Big Ten power rankings: Penn State, OSU, Oregon atop after spring footballFortunately for the former Pac-12 schools, lower revenue doesn’t always correlate to lower win totals — Oregon and Arizona State proved that with their championship runs in the Big Ten and Big 12, respectively.
But the sorry state of financial affairs that plagued the Pac-12 in the final years of its existence add a daunting layer of complication to attaining consistent success in the new conferences.
4. Santiago takes charge at Brigham Young
Nitty gritty: The Cougars’ three-month search for athletic director Tom Holmoe’s replacement concluded Tuesday with the appointment of his longtime deputy, Brian Santiago.
Why it matters: The decision drew criticism from some constituents, for Santiago has been described as a “polarizing” figure within BYU athletics. In an industry built on relationships, that component is worth monitoring over time as Santiago represents the Cougars on the Big 12 and national stages.
But it’s also a secondary consideration.
His performance over time will be judged on two fronts: Hiring and retaining successful head coaches for the football and men’s basketball programs — both are in good shape at the moment — and positioning the Cougars for the next iteration of college sports, whether it arrives in a few years or in the middle of the next decade.
BYU’s institutional wealth and deep-pocketed donors offer inherent advantages in the NIL era (whether the school wants to admit it or not). That won’t change if/when the revenue-sharing era begins this summer. The Cougars should compete for Big 12 titles and postseason bids on a frequent basis.
Put another way: Santiago is taking charge at an ideal time. It will take considerable effort, and numerous strategic mistakes, to derail the BYU machine.
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