The Pac-12 board of directors has authorized the conference to begin negotiations for its next media rights agreements, the group announced Tuesday. The board reached the decision during a meeting on Tuesday morning.
The Pac-12's current media rights deal expires in the summer of 2024. After its conclusion, USC and UCLA will leave the conference and join the Big Ten on Aug. 2, 2024.
The Big Ten formally announced its surprising agreement with USC and UCLA last Thursday, adding that competition will begin for all conference sports in the 2024-25 academic year.
Following the Big Ten's announcement, the Pac-12 released a statement saying it was "extremely surprised and disappointed" in USC and UCLA's decisions to leave the conference. The Pac-12's current membership had been together since 2011, when Colorado and Utah joined the league from the Big 12 and the Mountain West, respectively.
On Friday, the Pac-12 board of directors approved the conference to explore expansion options in response to USC and UCLA's decision to leave the conference.
(Photo: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)
Why the urgency?
Nicole Auerbach, senior college football writer: During any round of conference realignment, the best position to be is the aggressor. We've seen schools jump leagues for the sake of jumping.
No one wants to be chained to what could be perceived as a sinking ship. The Pac-12 is in a very vulnerable position right now, with its flagship schools gone and other leagues eyeing the leftovers.
It makes sense the Pac-12 wants to find out its value without USC and UCLA and present something solid to its membership to try to keep it intact. The Pac-12 needs to try and do whatever possible to keep its current schools from bouncing.