ZWF: Say goodbye to the Pac-12
Zander's Weekend Facts #77: Sunday, July 30, 2023
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, how Colorado moving back to the Big 12 just killed a Power 5 Conference, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 112 features a preview of the 2023 Women’s World Cup currently underway in Australia and New Zealand. Zander breaks down all 32 teams and predicts who will win the trophy on women’s soccer’s biggest stage. Go download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, July 30, 2023:
The endless cycle of conference realignment
For the third consecutive summer, a major conference realignment in collegiate athletics has dominated the headlines.
Two years ago, the shocking departures of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) from the Big 12 Conference began what now appears to be a major realignment at the top of the NCAA’s Division I.
Last year, the Big Ten Conference answered by swiping the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) from the Pac-12 Conference.
And now last week, the Big 12 added on to the Pac-12’s pain by bringing the University of Colorado Boulder on board. Colorado had originally been a member of the Big 12 before bolting west to the then Pac-10 in 2011.
The move had been lightly swirling around in the rumor mill for the last few months, but reporting broke quickly on Wednesday that the Buffaloes were considering a move. The Big 12 then voted to invite Colorado on Wednesday night, with the university’s Board of Regents unanimously voting to accept on Thursday.
To many, the move was also a surprise given the recent statements that have come out of the Pac-12. Even while the league was harmed by its two premier institutions saying “adios” in 2024, the conference continued to publicly claim it was united.
Of course, these messages come in contrast to the lack of a media rights deal for the conference after this upcoming season, and the reporting that suggests the league has few interested suitors willing to pay what it would take to keep the conference together.
Colorado left for the Big 12 because of the conference’s advantage in stability over the Pac-12, which would have been a laughable claim to make just two years ago.
The Big 12 felt like a dead man walking after Oklahoma and Texas announced their departures. Rumors swirled that other conferences like the Pac-12 could grab some of what was left of the deserted so-called “Hateful Eight.” But conference leadership worked quickly to add four new schools who joined the league earlier this month: Brigham Young University (BYU), the University of Cincinnati, the University of Houston, and the University of Central Florida (UCF).
The Pac-12 decided not to pounce on their peer’s misfortunes, and ended up paying the price. UCLA and USC bolted to new pastures, leaving 10 remaining. But the only overtures the Pac-12 has made in regards to expansion have been a colossal failure in San Diego State University attempting to leave the Mountain West Conference, and then having to backtrack after never receiving a formal Pac-12 invite.
The divergence in strategies couldn’t be more different, and while it’s given new life to one conference, it’s become the deathknell of the other.
And just to add icing onto the cake, the Big 12’s statement announcing Colorado back into the league couldn’t have been better written.
So the Pac-12, which began as the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915, is now down to nine remaining academic institutions. Compared with it’s - for now - Power Five peers, it would have by far the smallest membership ranks. The Big Ten and SEC will sit at 16 schools each in 2024, with the Big 12 expected to add at least one more school to the 13 it will house next year. Even the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is home to 14 institutions (15 counting non-football member Notre Dame.)
Although, with the Big Ten and SEC’s new media rights deals sending those two leagues far above the rest in terms revenue, it’s best to compare the Pac-12 to the ACC and Big 12. But with it’s future nine-school makeup, the Pac falls drastically below even those leagues.
And any potential expansion (realistic candidates including Boise State University, Gonzaga University , San Diego State, etc.) don’t add on value to the likes of the University of Arizona, the University of Oregon, and the University of Washington, that puts the conference anywhere near its counterparts on the east coast and in the midwest.
And with Colorado’s departure almost assuring the league won’t receive a media rights deal that will give schools the amounts they’d receive in the ACC or Big 12, what is there left?
The Pac-12 could continue with its nine schools, and maybe a few others, but it wouldn’t be considered a Power Five league.
The only way the remaining schools could continue to play at a high-level would be by merging into the ACC or Big 12, which may not agree to creating a mega-conference that still falls behind the Big Ten and SEC. Or there’s also the chance that an Oregon or a Washington gets picked up by a Big Ten that wants to continue expansion.
None of those options seem likely, but neither did Colorado leaving just a few days ago.
All that is to say that while another domino has fallen in the conference realignment puzzle, it won’t be the last.
Whether it will be an ACC school attempting to break the conference’s grant of rights agreement, the Big 12 adding a new member, or the Big Ten or SEC adding to their ranks, is anybody’s guess.
But what seems certain after last week’s news is that the Pac-12 Conference is no longer among the top in the world of college sports, and it may be time to say goodbye.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from Sports Illustrated - The Big 12 Didn’t Just Survive an Exodus, It’s Having a Renaissance
What Zander’s been reading
The last few weeks haven’t been the greatest for telecom giants AT&T and Verizon. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal uncovered what the companies knew about the damaging effects lead cables pose to the environment and their employees’ health.
Check out this week’s featured article at The Wall Street Journal - What AT&T and Verizon Knew About Toxic Lead Cables - (Article is free on Apple News)
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Trump Documents Case: Former President Donald Trump is facing new charges in the case regarding his mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Prosecutors have amended the indictment to include new counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, while also adding a third defendant. Property manager Carlos De Oliveira is accused of scheming with Trump and valet Walt Nauta of concealing camera footage from prosecutors. The updated indictment could lead to a delay in the trial, which is currently scheduled to begin in May 2024.
Hunter Biden Plea Deal: Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, pled not guilty federal tax charges last week after a plea deal with federal prosecutors was questioned. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreik questioned how two deals, one regarding unpaid taxes and another on a gun possession charge, intersected and her purview over them. The prosecution and defense are now expected to meet to resolve the questions raised by the court, meaning Biden could change his plea if an amended deal is approved by Judge Noreik.
Barbenheimer: The summer box office exploded last week with the openings of two highly anticipated films, ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer.’ The two combined to reach $235.5 million in domestic ticket sales in their first three days, the fourth highest-selling box office weekend in the U.S. not accounting for inflation and the biggest three-day opening weekend since the pandemic. Warner Bros.’ ‘Barbie’ scored $155 million in its debut weekend, a record for a female director (Greta Gerwig) for a movie only anticipated to reach $75 million in sales by Warner Bros. Universal Pictures’ ‘Oppenheimer’ took home $80 million in box office sales last weekend, double what was projected.
Electric Charging Network: Seven of the largest automakers in the world announced a partnership to create a new electric vehicle charging network last week. The group of companies includes BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. The automakers will create a new company that will rival other EV charging networks such as Tesla’s Supercharger network. Tesla recently announced it will open up its network to other automakers, leading companies such as Ford, GM, and Mercedes to announce they will begin manufacturing their EVs with Tesla’s charging port. The new company will support Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) along with the Combined Charging System (CCS) that’s been used in other electric vehicles.
Niger Coup: A military coup took place in the west African nation of Niger last week. The military overthrew democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum, with General Abdourahmane Tchiani named as the country’s new leader. The soldiers who led the coup cite growing security concerns over violent Islamist groups attacking and gaining territory, a concern which neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Mali are also facing. Experts say that in this region of the world, the Sahel, temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else on the globe, adding to the instability of the region.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
Women’s World Cup: Group stage play in the Women’s World Cup continues as the two-time defending champion United States has yet to clinch their place in the knockouts. After a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands on Wednesday, the U.S. will face Portugal in their final group stage game on Tuesday morning at 3:00 am et on Fox and Telemundo. The U.S. will advance with a draw or win, while needing a Netherlands loss to Vietnam if they lose to Portugal. If the U.S. finish atop the group, their Round of 16 match will take place on Saturday night at 10:00 pm et on Fox and Telemundo. If they finish second in the group, they’ll play next on Sunday morning at 5:00 am et on Fox and Telemundo. Three nations have already qualified for the knockouts as of Saturday night: Japan, Spain, and Sweden.
MLB Trade Deadline: The MLB Trade Deadline is set for Tuesday, August 1 at 6:00 pm et, with the biggest rumored name apparently off the table. Los Angeles Angels’ designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who is in the final year of his contract, will not be traded as the team attempts to make a push for the playoffs. At 54-51, the Angels are currently sitting 4.5 games back of the Wild Card in the American League. One notable name has already been involved in a trade, New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer. Scherzer has reportedly been dealt to the Texas Rangers after waiving his no-trade clause for the deal to go through.
The Open: 36-year-old Brian Harman dominated the field on his way to winning his first career major championship in last weekend’s edition of The Open. Harman shot a -13, six shots greater than Jason Day, Tom Kim, Jon Rahm, and Sepp Straka at -7. Harman became the 15th American to win The Open in the last 20 tournaments, while also being the first American since Stewart Cink in 2009 to win his first major at The Open. Harman is also the oldest first-time major winner since Sergio Garcia won the Masters in 2017.
Katie Ledecky: Katie Ledecky won the 800m freestyle competition in the World Swimming Championships on Saturday, winning her 16th invidiual swimming world title. Ledecky’s 16th title broke a tie with Michael Phelps for most in history. Ledecky also took home gold in the 1500m freestyle, while winning silver in the 400m free and 4x200m free relay. With the Olympics coming up next summer, Ledecky could move into second place behind Phelps for most gold medals and total medals. She currently has seven gold medals, two shy of second place held by Mark Spitz and behind Phelps’ 23.
NFL Training Camp: Training camps across the NFL are now underway, with the preseason set to begin this week. On Thursday, the preseason gets underway with the Hall of Fame Game between the Jets and Browns at 8:00 pm et on NBC. With players reporting to their teams, contract disputes have dominated the headlines. Giants running back Saquon Barkley signed his franchise tag deal, while Raiders running back Josh Jacobs has not signed his and is holding out to recieve a new deal. Injuries have also been a hot topic during training camp. On Thursday, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a calf strain that will keep him out several weeks, while Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is out until December after receiving surgery on his left meniscus.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
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You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, August 6, 2023.
