Pac-12 stops being patient in media rights negotiations

Before USC and UCLA moved to the Big Ten, the Pac-12 was waiting patiently in line for the Big Ten to finish its round of media rights negotiations with ESPN, Fox, and other television partners. The Pac-12 was next in line, excited for its turn at bat.

Now that the fate of the conference itself is in jeopardy, however, the Pac-12 board doesn’t see patience as an acceptable stance toward current events, which is an appropriate and correct posture to take. That lack of patience has been manifested in a significant piece of news on Tuesday morning:

The board has allowed George Kliavkoff to begin formal media rights negotiations within this ever-changing and constantly redrawn landscape. In a fluid situations, there is no time for delay, and the Pac-12’s power brokers realize that.

This enables Kliavkoff to make more offers with more schools and pursue more solutions which give him more options and avenues with ESPN in an attempt to save the conference and make its football product as palatable as humanly possible. What Kliavkoff is able to do, however, probably depends on other events and forces, beginning with Notre Dame’s Big Ten decision.

Still: This is an important story. We’ll see where it leads.