Quote:
Originally Posted by the_meanstrosity
The question though is the Pac 10 looking to expand?
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The answer is, it depends. Like all conferences, the Pac-10 is seeking ways to improve their revenue stream, especially after the recent economic downturn. The Pac-10 will expand
if:
- Doing so raises revenue for all the member schools
- They can attract schools that fit their membership criteria
Regarding the first point, as noted earlier the Pac-10 TV deals expire soon, so there's some urgency to figure out whether expansion makes sense. But it seems (from the outside at least) to be a bit of a chicken/egg thing - does the Pac-10 expand in order to draw a better TV deal/deals, or does the Pac-10 need to get better TV deals in order to attract the schools they want?
Related to that, the Pac-10 is interested in having a football championship game and the revenue it would generate, and is investigating whether they can get around the rule requiring 12 teams in order to host such a game.
Also related to that is whether expanding would lead to better (and more lucrative) bowl arrangements. One major draw in trying to lure Texas & A&M (along with other Big-12 teams) is the potential to bring more of the Texas-based bowl games into the bowl pool for the conference.
Regarding the second point, it's been discussed quite a bit already in this thread. Suffice it to say that academics and research dollars also matter a great deal in all of this discussion.