The Pac-12’s rebirth may take a huge step forward in March.
San Diego State athletic director JD Wicker told fans at a recent event that the Pac-12 expects to have a new media rights deal in place by the end of March.
“At the end of next month, we will have the (memorandum of understanding) done for our television deal,” Wicker said. “So we will know what our TV deal is going to be, who our partners are going to be. I will say this, they’re entities you are familiar with, that you would recognize. We’re going to get great exposure, and the really good thing is we’re going to get more exposure. It’s not just going to be football and men’s basketball, but … all of our sports are going to have the opportunity for this increased exposure. It’s going to be increased revenue, which is a big thing for us.”
“That’s really the next big piece. Once we know that, then we can go recruit that eighth football-playing member. … And then after that, we’ll figure out if we’re adding one, two or three more schools, and whether they’re coming in in all of their sports. They might be coming in in some of their sports.”
San Diego State AD JD Wicker shares that a Pac-12 media deal is expected to be announced by the end of March, and that the conference will add 1 full member after that, and then potentially up to 3 other members in some or all sports after that.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) February 23, 2025
It seems only fitting that a new TV deal is the next step in the conference’s reset, given issues surrounding the search for a new deal a couple of years ago led to Pac-12 members defecting to the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12. By last summer, only Oregon State and Washington State remained.
But the conference has reloaded, adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State in late 2024. However, Gonzaga, a traditional NCAA basketball power, does not field a football team. As Wicker alluded, the Pac-12 needs to add one more football school before the 2026 season to give it the eight needed to qualify as an FBS conference (Oregon State and Washington State will play independent schedules in 2025).
According to a recent Front Office Sports report, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould expects the new media rights package to include “multiple” networks. It sounds like we won’t be waiting long to find out who they are.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.