Pac-12 football fan outreach matters; here’s how it is unfolding

The Pac-12 needs to make football more fan-friendly, while also creating television inventory which brings maximum dollars into the coffers of its member schools. How does the conference strike the right balance?

Here’s one key part of that strategy.

(h/t Jon Wilner of The San Jose Mercury News).

Once the middle of September arrives, ESPN, Fox and the Pac-12 Networks begin a weekly draft. In most cases, kickoff times are announced two Mondays before the game. But ESPN and Fox have four six-day selection options (two per network) that can be deployed at their preference. In those instances, the start times aren’t set until the Sunday before the game. While many Pac-12 fans recoil at the thought of 7:30 p.m. PT games, the larger issue is not knowing until a week or two before kickoff whether the game will start at 12 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. or anytime in between. The late games would be more palatable if fans could plan several weeks, if not months, in advance.

“We’d like to move away from it, but that’s something we have to discuss with our partners,” the source said of the six- and 12-day selection process.