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All encompassing PAC 4 thread


Sbbruin

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3 minutes ago, 66BUFF said:

Buffs get their first win.  20-13 over Cal.

Berkley may want to just fold up the football program. They're obviously not committed to it - which is fine, not a value judgment - and it's just going to be a financial loser as the PAC 12 collapses.

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On 10/18/2022 at 7:37 AM, LTtxfan said:

Here yah go @Sbbruin .  Thanks for finding this tweet goes to @Hookem2147

 

Autzen is a tough place to play.  It’ll be LOUD..  But DTR has had a composure this season I haven’t seen before.  After 40+ starts I don’t think the atmosphere will rattle him.  Gonna be a tough game to win.  But IF we get past them, we got a real shot at being undefeated going into the SC game.  

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48 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

Autzen is a tough place to play.  It’ll be LOUD..  But DTR has had a composure this season I haven’t seen before.  After 40+ starts I don’t think the atmosphere will rattle him.  Gonna be a tough game to win.  But IF we get past them, we got a real shot at being undefeated going into the SC game.  

I am excited to watch this game.  I think the key will be Oregon's Oline versus UCLA's Dline.    Oregon's Oline has had stretches where they just dominated.  I watched quite a bit of their BYU, Stanford and Arizona games.  They manhandled those three teams.

UCLA held up pretty darn well against Utah's Oline which has over the last few years been a strength.

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10 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Autzen is a tough place to play.  It’ll be LOUD..  But DTR has had a composure this season I haven’t seen before.  After 40+ starts I don’t think the atmosphere will rattle him.  Gonna be a tough game to win.  But IF we get past them, we got a real shot at being undefeated going into the SC game.  

Go Bruins. This should go without saying.

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On 10/15/2022 at 4:48 PM, gmr548 said:

Berkley may want to just fold up the football program. They're obviously not committed to it - which is fine, not a value judgment - and it's just going to be a financial loser as the PAC 12 collapses.

They're not committed to men's basketball, either, apparently.  And they already tried to shut down the baseball program.  Perhaps go non-scholarship and start a rivalry with USD?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just watched the latest E60 episode “The Band is on the Field” about the 1982 Stanford - Cal game. Really fun and enjoyable doc. Got me excited to see that those teams are playing this weekend on the 40th anniversary of the game and was about to make a point of recording the game when I realized it’s being broadcast on the stupid Pac 12 Network which of course I, like the vast majority of Americans, don’t get.

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There’s still a path for Utah to go to the Pac-12 championship game. Here’s the scenario.

Story by Joe Coles • Yesterday 

Quote

Utah’s Pac-12 championship game hopes took a major blow in the Utes’ 20-17 loss to Oregon on Saturday night.

Utah’s loss, coupled with USC’s win over UCLA, leaves only one scenario in which Utah could get back to the Pac-12 championship game.

The Utes needs to beat Colorado in the season finale and will need help from three other teams, but this scenario does have a chance to happen.

A Pac-12 official confirmed to the Deseret News that Utah would be in the Pac-12 championship game vs. USC if all four of these results happen:

Utah (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) wins at Colorado (1-10, 1-7 Pac-12)

Oregon State (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) wins at home vs. Oregon (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12)

Washington (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) wins at Washington State (7-4, 4-4 Pac-12)

UCLA (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) wins at Cal (4-7, 2-6 Pac-12)

If those results happen, here is what the Pac-12 standings would look like this:

USC, with an 8-1 conference record, has already clinched its spot in the Pac-12 title game and plays Notre Dame to close out the regular season. Stanford, with a 1-8 conference record, plays BYU on the final week of the season.

Utah, Oregon and Washington would be in a three-way tie for second place in the Pac-12 with a 7-2 conference record.

Remember, the top two teams in the Pac-12 go to the Pac-12 championship game. It’s not South champion vs. North champion anymore.

Enter the Pac-12 multiple-team tiebreaker rules.

Pac-12 Multiple-Team Tiebreaker Rule

“In the event of a tie between more than two teams, the following procedures will be used. After one team has an advantage and is “seeded”, all remaining teams in the multiple-team tie-breaker will repeat the multiple-team tie-breaking procedure. If at any point the multiple-team tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaking procedure will be applied. 

1. Head-to-head (best cumulative win percentage in games among the tied teams). If not every tied team has played each other, go to step 2.”

Utah and Washington did not play each other. Move to step two.

“2. Win percentage against all common conference opponents (must be common among all teams involved in the tie)”

Utah, Washington, Oregon common opponents:

Oregon State (Utah W, Oregon L, Washington W)

UCLA (Utah L, Oregon W, Washington L)

WSU (Utah W, Oregon W, Washington W)

Arizona (Utah W, Oregon W, Washington W)

Stanford (Utah W, Oregon W, Washington W)

Colorado (Utah W, Oregon W, Washington W)

Record against common opponents:

Utah: 5-1. Oregon: 5-1. Washington: 5-1. Move to step three.

“3. Record against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on record in all games played within the conference), proceeding through the standings. 

a. When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s win percentage against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group’s own tie-breaking procedure) rather than the performance against individual tied teams.”

UCLA and Oregon State both have a 6-4 conference record, making them the highest-ranked common opponents among Utah, Oregon and Washington and invoking section 3(a).

Utah 1-1 vs. OSU and UCLA, Oregon 1-1 vs. OSU and UCLA, Washington 1-1 vs. OSU and UCLA. Move to step 4.

“4. Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (ie, strength of conference schedule)”

Utah has the advantage in conference strength of schedule.

IF ASU BEATS ARIZONA

Utah: ASU (3-6), OSU (6-3), UCLA (6-3), USC (8-1), WSU (4-5), Arizona (2-7), Stanford (1-8), Oregon (7-2), Colorado (1-8) = 38 wins, 43 losses (0.469135802469136 combined win percentage)

IF ARIZONA BEATS ASU 

Utah: ASU (2-7), OSU (6-3), UCLA (6-3), USC (8-1), WSU (4-5), Arizona (3-6), Stanford (1-8), Oregon (7-2), Colorado (1-8) = 38 wins, 43 losses (0.469135802469136 combined win percentage)

IF ARIZONA BEATS ASU 

Oregon: WSU (4-5), Stanford (1-8), Arizona (3-6), UCLA (6-3), Cal (2-7), Colorado (1-8), Washington (7-2), Utah (7-2), OSU (6-3) = 37 wins, 44 losses (0.45679012345679 combined win percentage)

IF ARIZONA LOSES TO ASU 

Oregon: WSU (4-5), Stanford (1-8), Arizona (2-7), UCLA (6-3), Cal (2-7), Colorado (1-8), Washington (7-2), Utah (7-2), OSU (6-3) = 36 wins, 45 losses (0.444444444444444 combined win percentage)

IF ASU BEATS ARIZONA

Washington: Stanford (1-8), UCLA (6-3), ASU (3-6), Arizona (2-7), Cal (2-7), OSU (6-3), Oregon (7-2), Colorado (1-8), WSU (4-5) = 32 wins, 49 losses (0.395061728395062 combined win percentage)

IF ARIZONA BEATS ASU 

Washington: Stanford (1-8), UCLA (6-3), ASU (2-7), Arizona (3-6), Cal (2-7), OSU (6-3), Oregon (7-2), Colorado (1-8), WSU (4-5) = 32 wins, 49 losses (0.395061728395062 combined win percentage)

Utah wins the tiebreaker on step four and plays in Pac-12 championship game vs. USC.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/there-e2-80-99s-still-a-path-for-utah-to-go-to-the-pac-12-championship-game-here-e2-80-99s-the-scenario/ar-AA14kDqN

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand, the most plugged-in reporter out there when it comes to sports TV deals, recently put out his annual predictions for 2023. Here’s what he had to say about the Pac-12 (emphasis mine):

“ESPN will be prepared to split the Pac-12’s media rights with Amazon, but will not offer the conference significantly more than it pays for the Big 12. That will lead the Pac-12 to sell almost its entire media package to Amazon for a price that is slightly higher than what the Big 12 gets from ESPN and Fox. The Pac-12 will carve out a handful of prime-time football games that it then will sell to CBS.”

I will confess that I have not watched a single second of an NFL game on Amazon, mainly because I cannot remember that they're on there on Thursdays.  

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uh oh

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/20/pac-12-fires-senior-executives-following-investigation-into-failure-to-report-overpayments-from-media-partners/

TLDR pac 12 execs not reporting over payments in the amount of 50 mil

Quote

The Pac-12 on Friday terminated the employment of two senior executives, including the president of the Pac-12 Networks, for failing to disclose overpayments by a media distribution partner to the networks that made the annual revenue appear more robust than it was.

Commissioner George Kliavkoff carried out the dismissals with approval of the Pac-12 Board of Directors (the university presidents) and following an investigation by an independent, outside legal firm.

The conference did not identify the executives.

However, soon after the Pac-12 staff was informed of the situation, two names were removed from the staff directory: Pac-12 Networks president Mark Shuken and CFO Brent Willman, who oversees finances for both networks and conference operations.

A source confirmed they were the executives terminated.

The distribution partner, also unidentified, claims the overpayments totaled $50 million over the course of years, potentially impacting Pac-12 athletic department budgets in the future. (ESPN and Fox are not Pac-12 Networks distribution partners.)

The Pac-12 released the following statement:

“Earlier today, the Pac-12 terminated the employment of two senior executives, effective immediately. This action was taken following an investigation conducted by independent outside legal counsel. The terminations resulted from a failure by those two executives to disclose material information to the Pac-12 Board of Directors and external Pac-12 auditors in connection with overpayments by a Pac-12 Networks distribution partner dating back to 2016.

“The Pac-12 took immediate and appropriate action to address this matter, consistent with best governance practices. Pac-12 leadership is committed to supporting our members and student-athletes, and always operating at the highest level of professionalism.”

The Pac-12 Networks were launched in August 2012, to much fanfare. However, poor distribution, including a longstanding impasse with DirecTV, resulted in limited annual payouts to the campuses and criticism of the business model.

The Pac-12 Networks have an array of distribution partners, including Comcast and DISH, Cox, frontier and Spectrum.

An audit, directed by the Pac-12 in 2017 and completed late that year, concluded that “one of the Pac-12 distribution partners had overpaid the Pac-12 Networks for the year 2016 by a material amount,” according to information released by the conference.

Shuken and Willman didn’t personally benefit from the overpayments, which became known to them following the audit.

(Shuken was hired as president of the networks in August 2017; Willman joined the networks prior to their launch.)

Numerous people were interviewed as part of the investigation, including then-commissioner Larry Scott.

Other than issuing the public statement, the conference declined to comment on any aspect of the investigation — including the people interviewed — and said its focus is on addressing the claim and the executives whose employment was terminated Friday.

It is unclear whether the Pac-12 will have to reimburse the partner making the claim.

Hired in the summer of 2021, Kliavkoff was made aware of the situation this October. The Pac-12’s audit committee brought in Cooley LLP, based in Palo Alto, to conduct an investigation.

Kliavkoff briefed the presidents at a previously scheduled meeting in November.

Cooley completed the investigation in January and determined “these executives failed in their obligations and duties to immediately disclose this information related to an immediate and material financial risk to the Pac-12.”

Washington president Ana Mari Cauce, and chair of the Pac-12 board, issued the following statement:

“The Commissioner and the Pac-12 have taken timely and appropriate action consistent with best governance practices and based upon the investigation conducted by independent outside legal counsel. The Pac-12 Board appreciates the Commissioner’s prompt action on this matter.”

As part of its public disclosure of events, the conference released the following timeline of events:

— In the spring of 2017, the Pac-12 Networks engaged the industry-leading auditor to conduct an audit of certain distribution partner payments.

— The audit concluded that one of the Pac-12 distribution partners had overpaid the Pac-12 Networks for the year 2016 by a material amount.

— The two Pac-12 executives whose employment were terminated today were made aware of the audit results in late December 2017.

— After receiving the audit results, the two executives failed to inform the Pac-12 Board of Directors or the Pac-12’s external auditors of the financial risk associated with the audit findings.

— Since 2017, the two executives have not shared the ongoing financial risk associated with the apparent overpayment with either the Pac-12 Board of Directors or the Pac-12’s external auditors.

— In October 2022, the distribution partner who was the subject of the 2017 audit claimed that it had been overpaying the Pac-12 each year since prior to 2016.  The distribution partner claims that the overpayments total more than $50M.

— As soon as the distribution partner notified the Pac-12, the Pac-12 began looking into the claims, and determined that the Pac-12 should bring in independent legal counsel to review the facts of the situation

— The Pac-12 Board of Directors Audit Committee promptly hired the law firm of Cooley LLP to conduct an independent investigation.

— In November 2022, the Commissioner briefed the Pac-12 Board of Directors on the distribution partner’s claim and the ongoing investigation being conducted by Cooley.

— Cooley concluded its investigation and on January 13, 2023 Cooley briefed the Commissioner on its findings.

— The Cooley investigation concluded that:

* Two current senior Pac-12 executives were aware of an overpayment from a distribution partner since late 2017;

* These executives failed in their obligations and duties to immediately disclose this information related to an immediate and material financial risk to the Pac-12 to the Pac-12 Board of Directors and the Pac-12’s external auditors; and

* These executives failed in their ongoing obligation and duty to disclose this information to the Pac-12 Board of Directors and the Pac-12’s external auditors.

— Based upon the findings of the investigation, the Commissioner made the decision to terminate the employment of the two Pac-12 senior executives.

— On January 19, 2023 the Board of Directors Executive Committee and the Chairman of the Pac-12 Audit Committee were briefed on the findings of the investigation and the decision to terminate the employment of the two Pac-12 senior executives.

— The terminations took place and are effective on January 20, 2023.

 

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  • 3 months later...

Canzano:

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The tenants have moved out, but the building located at 360 3rd Street in downtown San Francisco continues to be a money pit for the Pac-12 Conference.

Conference members paid more than $92 million in rent to Kilroy Realty over 11 years. That expense became an ongoing source of frustration. But the Pac-12 got 113,000 square feet of prime office space in return.

Also, it got a hangover.

At ex-Commissioner Larry Scott’s direction, the conference completely rebuilt two floors of the headquarters. It constructed a state-of-the-art television studio, production bays, meeting rooms, offices and even installed the conference’s infamous Instant-Replay Command Center, complete with etched-glass doors and hardwood floors.

Not only did that install cost a small fortune a decade ago, but per the lease agreement the office space now needs to be returned to its original condition. The expense of that is $10 million per a Pac-12 source and it’s now part of a financial migraine for members.

The conference was also overpaid by $50 million over 10 years by Comcast under Scott’s leadership. The story of that accounting fiasco and the subsequent cover-up is just beginning to become clear. But Pac-12 presidents and chancellors were presented with the bill for it at last week’s meeting of the conference’s board.

We’re just starting to hear how each Pac-12 campus is going to manage absorbing those unexpected expenses. On Monday, Washington State president Kirk Schulz issued a statement in which he announced a temporary freeze on current and future positions, non-essential travel and new professional development.

In the statement, Schulz said the Cougar athletic department exceeded its expenditures for the year due to “inadequate documentation of revenues and expenses.”

Basically, the ‘Champagne Larry’ tax.

Scott flew in a charter jet. He stayed in five-star hotels and soaked in marble tubs. When it came to picking the corporate headquarters the ex-commissioner insisted on a building that cost the conference $696,000 a month in rent. He also double-dipped on his salary, claiming to be a media executive as well as a commissioner, earning $50 million in salary for himself over the years.

It’s ridiculous that Scott negotiated the lease for the headquarters to expire one year in front of the conference’s media-rights deal. A total misfire there. It’s almost as if Scott was thinking more about himself than the campuses he was charged with serving.

What do I make of WSU’s announcement?

Officials in Pullman declined further comment. But it’s pretty simple. WSU and the University of Washington are both bound by a state law that requires them to present a public budget. Schulz was signaling to state lawmakers and citizens that his athletic department is going to show a deficit.

The president didn’t want anyone surprised.

It’s more than Scott did for his old conference. I’ve talked with a number of frustrated conference athletic directors in recent weeks. They’ll be charged with making ends meet in their departments. One Pac-12 AD told me, “We’re basically turning over rocks these days and finding disasters Larry left for us.”

It’s a costly reminder about the importance of leadership, isn’t it?

The college conferences hire executives, pay them millions in salary and expect they’ll put the entity first. Scott failed the Pac-12. I wouldn’t blame the conference if it sued him for it. I’d love to hear his explanation. And we’re finding out this week that former Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren left $70 million in broken TV promises behind when he fled to the NFL. His old conference is dealing with that hiccup this week.

The hangover from Scott?

$5.7 million per Pac-12 school.

The accounting blunder, it turns out, was $50 million over 10 years. But there are two additional years on the deal where the revenue expectations have to be reset. Basically, it amounts to a 12-year problem that must now be accounted for over just two years.

The $10 million cost to return the downtown San Francisco palace back into a regular office space is being absorbed by the conference. The Pac-12 reported an uptick in revenues in its most recent fiscal filing. It also implemented a series of cost-saving measures to help mitigate the shortfall. It also has a “rainy day” fund at its disposal.

Be sure, it’s drizzling out there.

Some of the Pac-12 members may be able to easily absorb the hit. Others will have to freeze jobs, cut corners, and endure some ridicule from the academics who don’t like seeing athletics operate in the red.

Thanks for nothing, Larry.

 

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Then commissioner George Kliavkoff took the stage and, not surprisingly, fielded zero questions about football and seven about the year-long drama surrounding the league’s media rights deal that will start in 2024, after USC and UCLA depart for the Big Ten. At one point he said, “We’re not announcing a deal on purpose today because I want the focus to be on football,” which led to an obvious follow-up from a reporter: “Does that mean the deal is done?”

“I think you’re reading too much into that,” replied Kliavkoff.

Did they actually replace Dumb with Dumber?

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So, are ASU and UU already planning their exit from strategy from the BIG 12? Or is there one?  They sure as hell did not want to be affiliated with, as they like to call it, the "Truck Stop Conference." I could see them being two turds in the new punchbowl given the statements made upon joining. Fuck 'em. Hard. Repeat.

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1 hour ago, Mr.Hovis said:

So, are ASU and UU already planning their exit from strategy from the BIG 12? Or is there one?  They sure as hell did not want to be affiliated with, as they like to call it, the "Truck Stop Conference." I could see them being two turds in the new punchbowl given the statements made upon joining. Fuck 'em. Hard. Repeat.

They are going to learn a hard lesson going from the wine and cheese fart-sniffers in the PAC to the BIG12. Utah has a history of success that goes back a whole 5 years, and asu is asu.

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2 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Crow just lost all of his PAC12 political power in ASU's move to the B12.  That's the reason for his ridiculous childish temper tantrum.  

giphy.gif

Being THAT technology-ignorant and drawing attention to it? “The digitization (?) of our games that you can view anywhere in the world and manipulate…”

Live-streaming mofo… ever hear of it? Ever hear of a pause button?  A President doesn’t have to be tech-savvy, but I would think they have an IT department or a grandkid to say “dude, 2007 called”

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5 hours ago, USC_TMB said:

They are going to learn a hard lesson going from the wine and cheese fart-sniffers in the PAC to the BIG12. Utah has a history of success that goes back a whole 5 years, and asu is asu.


I don’t know why SC fans get the rep of entitled snobs.  Wait.  I do.

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  • blacklab changed the title to All encompassing PAC 4 thread

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