“If we add teams just to try to keep up with somebody else but those teams don’t grow our revenue base, do we really need to add them,’’
“What the SEC has done is unify the other conferences in a way that nothing else could have, in terms of working together,” Schulz told the Hotline.
“A lot of people now are very concerned about the predatory nature of the SEC. More presidents are talking. There’s a lot of back and forth.”
The SEC declined to comment on Schulz’s remark.
Since news broke last month of Texas and Oklahoma jumping to the SEC, Schulz has spoken to numerous university presidents — both inside and outside the Pac-12 — about potential responses in various regions and leagues.
“I sensed that in the aftermath of the announcement, there was some panic,’’ he said. “But I don’t think that’s the case any longer.
“I have talked to presidents around the country, and what I’ve found is that people are taking a step back and taking a deep breath. They’re saying, ‘Let’s not rush into it and make a hasty judgment.’
“Nobody is on a deadline. At the same time, we don’t want to have our head in the sand and just see where everything is one year later and hope it worked out for the best.”
Schulz learned from his tenure at Kansas State that internal alignment is essential for any conference during an expansion wave.
“You have got to hold serve at home and make sure all the current members feel good about the conference financially and the direction it’s headed,’’ he said. “You can’t have death by 1,000 cuts, where you lose one member here, and then another there.”
When asked specifically whether the Pac-12’s current membership is satisfied, Schulz said:
“People are saying they like the affiliation that we all have geographically and from the standpoint of being research institutions. All the conversations I’ve had have been really positive, that this is a good footprint. But we need to ask ourselves where we’ll be as a conference in five years.”
For that reason, Schulz reached out to new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff to offer advice in the wake of the Texas and Oklahoma news.
“I called George and told him that I’ve been through it before. I wanted to make sure we weren’t sitting on the sideline. And he said, ‘I have six options for us.’
“He’s thinking deeply about these things. Should we be in the acquisition mode? Should we look to add members? Should they be football-only members? Should we consider a schedule alliance?
“I am so glad George is at the helm. We’re not resting on our laurels. He’s looking at options and what we can do to maximize our football brand. He’s the right leader at the right time.”
like the pac 12 didnt poach colorado and try and take 4 schools in 2012. fucking clownshoe