By Kyle Bonagura.
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention took place at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
Powerbrokers from around the country, including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, attended panels, networking and mingling.
Wake Forest's John Currie, NC State's Boo Corrigan, Arkansas' Hunter Yurachek, and USC's Mike Bohn were the athletic directors of the year. Four people took the stage in front of a large crowd.
"I am more and more inspired by the collaboration of my peers across the entire intercollegiate athletics enterprise to build for a bright future," he said. This is a good time to think about why we do what we do. It is an honor to make our program the best it can be for our student-athletes, supporters and the university community.
The future of the college sports landscape was thrown into doubt when Bohn and others quietly worked for months on a move that would change everything. USC, which joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1922, was going to join the Big Ten. The USC would join the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12.
The possibility of USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten was discussed by the conference's athletic directors. USC and UCLA will join the Big Ten in August of 2024. After Texas and Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12 for the SEC last year, college athletics were left in a state of shock.
The day moves were announced.
Many across the country were caught completely off guard by the USC-UCLA- Big Ten courting. ADs found out about the moves on their flights. A person described a "Holy s---, shock and awe" moment when he received a text.
The Pac-12 commissioner was on vacation when he found out about the Fourth of July holiday.
It was the final warning to everyone in college football that there was more than one power in town after the SEC power move the year before.
The Big Ten was what UCLA wanted to operate in, according to the AD.
"I don't think there's a college administrator in the country that doesn't know that there are two conferences that are separate from the rest of the country," he said. The Oklahoma-Texas move underscored that.
The Big Ten's move shook things up for everyone outside the Power 2 and the Big 12's response to Texas-Oklahoma was mostly contained to the conference. There was immediate talk of survival and expansion within the conferences.
The Big Ten does not want the land to be pulled out. Everyone has to be on top of things. You could say one thing and mean it from the bottom of your heart. The next day you have to make a decision based on economics, governance, and something.
What type of chaos occurred in the days that followed the deal coming together? More than 30 athletic directors, industry sources and officials from schools and conferences across the country were spoken to by the three men.
The Hyatt Regency in Arizona became the ideal location for realignment discussions. The Big Ten and the Pac-12 held their meetings there. Representatives from Fox, as well as other media partners, attended the meeting.
The Big Ten's media rights agreement was still being negotiated. Kevin Warren told reporters on May 2 that he hoped to have the basic parameters of a deal by Memorial Day.
"We're exactly where I thought we'd be, looking at the next 30 days or so being the critical time period," Warren said at the time. There are many hours left to negotiate and come to some term sheets or a Memorandum of Understanding.
USC and UCLA were looking at their futures as the Big Ten was close to a deal.
A source from the Pac-12 said there was an urgent need for both of them. If one tried to move alone, it would be more difficult.
The Big Ten's media rights deal was not announced or leaked on Memorial Day. Things stayed quiet in June. The negotiations had been going on for a long time. The Big Ten may have wanted to get more media partners involved.
Fox has increased its stake in the Big Ten Network. Sources say CBS was a strong candidate. Sources say that the Big Ten's decades-long partnership with Disney was in doubt. Adding the USC and Bruins makes it more attractive.
Brand power, a major media market of Los Angeles and academic profiles that suit the Big Ten were some of the things USC and UCLA brought to the table. Travel issues for Olympic sports programs were one of the challenges presented. The Big Ten's strongest ally was the Pacific-12.
Since the end of World War II, most teams from the two conferences have played in the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl is the most important external partner of the Big Ten. USC has made 34 Rose Bowl appearances, more than any other school, while UCLA has made 12 Rose Bowl appearances, more than any other school. There was uncertainty about what would happen with the Rose Bowl, which was one of the reasons why Warren and the others voted against the College Football Playoff expansion push.
Concerns about the impact on the game from USC and UCLA's moves may have been lessened by the uncertainty about the Rose Bowl's place in the playoffs. The Rose Bowl was going to have to be reinvented in order to remain relevant if the playoff expands.
The president and chairman of the board of the Tournament of Roses acknowledged the game's uncertain future in a letter sent Friday to volunteers.
The tradition of the Rose Bowl Game will continue into the future if we are flexible and open to change.
The Big Ten had added brand-name programs before -- Penn State in 1990, Nebraska in 2010 -- but the USC and UCLA moves carried more "collateral damage."
A Big Ten administrator said USC and UCLA created a hard conversation because of their relationship with the Rose Bowl. It was hypocritical, but if we didn't move, someone else would. Was it worth not taking the chance?
A Big Ten administrator said that people understand both the magnitude of the opportunity and the consequences. We were very conscious. It was a great day for the Big Ten, and we're happy to welcome those two schools, but it marked a terrible day for many of our colleagues around the country in a conference that has been a strong partner to us for many years. This wouldn't have been possible a long time ago.
Things moved quickly during the last weekend of June. The Big Ten presidents and chancellors held a call about USC and UCLA on the morning of June 28.
The Big Ten administrator said he was surprised by the speed at which it accelerated. Two schools dictated their own timelines.
When the Big Ten ADs got on another call for more discussions, one source said the cake was baked.
The source said there was not much of a debate. Kevin did a good job of explaining what this move would mean for everything, revenue and the L.A. market. He was very confident in what the numbers would look like, even though the finances are not done.
USC and UCLA were positioned to be considered by the Big Ten at that time, according to a source. Big Ten energy was rejuvenated by the addition of USC and Notre Dame. A source said that the Big Ten is in a pause period.
The Big Ten may stay at 16 members if Notre Dame doesn't change course.
A league administrator said that everyone in the room was happy and excited about what the future holds. Now you can roll your sleeves up and start working.
The conference's CEO group held an emergency meeting after the news broke. After UCLA and USC officially announced they were leaving, a high-ranking university official said that he started by acknowledging the obvious in a "matter offact" tone.
The source said that the group wanted to know what that meant for them.
It is a question that doesn't have a definitive answer and won't be answered for a while. The conference has made two announcements since then, the first being that it will explore all expansion options and the second being that it will begin negotiations on its next media rights agreement. The remaining schools have indicated that they would like to stay in the conference, and both steps are being taken to make that happen.
The best option is for the league to stay together. Will the future of the league be determined by the next move? We all have the same goal to get there. People want this thing to work.
League sources did not express anger towards USC or UCLA for leaving the conference. The prevailing reaction was disappointment for the uncertainty it brings for those left behind and understanding for why they did. One administrator said he was not surprised by USC's departure.
Sources say that UCLA was able to leave due to its close relationship with Cal as part of the University of California system. Cal and UCLA are two of the best public universities in the country.
One source said that the regents allowed UCLA to go and leave California wounded. It's not good for Cal or anyone else in the Pacific 10.
Prior to his appointment as the president of the University of California, Dr. Michael Drake was the president of Ohio State for seven years. Drake didn't need to be educated on the merits of Big Ten membership.
Drake's office denied a request from ESPN to interview Drake about his involvement in UCLA's move or the implications it will have on Cal. Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton wasn't the only one denied.
"UCLA leadership informed President Drake that discussions between UCLA and the Big Ten were occurring but he was not involved at all in those discussions or in any negotiations," a spokeswoman for the University of California Office of the President said. The University of California Board of regents does not have to make a decision.
Although the UC regents didn't need to approve UCLA's conference separation from Cal, they likely needed to support it because it could hurt its sister school.
A source from the Pac-12 said that UCLA did not do this in a vacuum.
UCLA's move to the Big Ten, especially with the league on the verge of a historic media rights agreement, is easy to comprehend. In January, the Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA's athletic department had a record $62.50 million deficit for the fiscal year that ended in June. The inability to host fans during the 2020-21 football and basketball seasons, coupled with limited revenue from playing at the Rose Bowl, left UCLA penniless.
The Power 5 athletic director said that they are in a tough financial position. "They were in a state of desperation."
Jarmond had a deficit with UCLA athletics. It's difficult to just maintain when you have a large financial challenge. This move will allow us to invest in the programs that will lead to more competitive success.
According to multiple sources, USC and UCLA inquired about joining the Big Ten. The Big Ten was focused on its media rights negotiations and wasn't interested in expanding.
The presidents and chancellors of the league were the ones who kept a close eye on the potential additions.
The source said it was a smooth ride.
Everyone outside the Power 2 was affected by the move.
An emergency call was held July 1 with the presidents and athletic directors of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Jack was on the call because the Irish have all their sports outside of football.
The questions about the long-term viability of the conference grew louder after the Texas and Oklahoma moves. Whether it was financially beneficial to expand with schools like West Virginia or USC was one of the strategies discussed by the conference.
One source said that they looked at everyone. Do you do anything? The presidents wanted an appetite for coast to coast. If they knew, that perspective would have changed.
It's not clear whether presidents feel differently about a possible partnership with the schools that are still in the conference. There have been two more calls since July 1. One source said that the Atlantic Coast Conference has received calls from Memphis. Multiple sources in the league kept asking the same question.
Informal conversations have been taking place between schools and other leagues as a way to gauge both their value and where future expansion might go. There isn't anything that seems to be imminent. The grant of rights is the reason why the league office believes they are in a strong position.
The media rights of a school are guaranteed by the grant of rights. Schools would have to give up their TV money and the ability to have all their conference-controlled content on television.
It is possible to get out of the grant of rights without having to pay a huge financial penalty. The grant of rights was described as a really good legal document by one of the ADs at the time. There is a $300 million question. I will tell you that there would be a lot of litigation.
After USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten, that sentiment was not going to change. The conference's operating budget is triple what the exit fee is at the moment. Through 2036, the media rights will be forfeited.
At some point in the future, a school with an offer to leave would have to challenge the grant of rights, according to multiple sources.
One source said that the concern was if Florida State and Miami tried to get out and then fought it. They are trying to see if they can get out. The grant of rights is very strong.
Beyond persuading Notre Dame to join the conference, there is little the league can do to get into the same ballpark as the Big Ten and SEC.
There is an acknowledgement that he walked into an almost impossible situation, one that could grow unsustainable in the years to come.
The Big 12 hired a new commissioner the day before USC and UCLA moved. Yormark launched into the realignment madness right away.
According to sources, the presidents and chancellors of the Big 12 began looking into the possibility of adding the weakened Pac-12.
A Big 12 administrator said they would look under every rock. We will do what's best for us.
The Big 12 should be aggressive in securing its future because of the fact that it is working from a strong position. The addition of Cincinnati and UCF, as well as the addition of an independent in BYU, make the league more appealing to some of the Pac-12 schools as compared to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The source told them not to sleep on the Big 12. Right now, I can tell you that.
The mood around the league is different than it was in July 2021.
A Big 12 source said that you felt like the hunted. One year later, the Big 12's solidarity is at an all time high. We are in a different situation.
It is possible for the Big 12 to sell prospective Pac-12 schools on its own experience of trying to hold a conference together. The Longhorns came back with a sweetheart deal after flirting with leaving. They jumped to the SEC even though they had a chance. If a better deal comes along, Oregon and Washington could jump at the chance to save the conference. Utah, Arizona and Arizona State are all recruiting Texas.
The movement was felt on Group of 5 campuses in the Mountain West. There are two primary scenarios to account for when it comes to the future of the conference.
One Mountain West athletic director said that every one of them would jump at the chance to be in the Pacific-12. The day after USC and UCLA announced they were leaving, the Fresno State athletic department made a not-so- subtle case as an expansion candidate.
The other obvious candidates are San Diego State, Colorado State, and UNLV, all of which have redeeming qualities that the new-lookPac-12 could find attractive.
There is more than one side. The source outlined a scenario in which the Pac-12 falls apart. He wanted to know what would happen if Oregon and Washington left for the Big Ten. Is the Arizona schools going to the Big 12? What are you going to do next? Washington State and Oregon State can be seen in the Mountain West. It would be good to have them.
Schools and conferences are almost required to deal with hypotheticals at this point in time. One Power 5 AD said that he could think of 10 different scenarios.
USC and UCLA won't be the last schools to change. Only the latest are the ones they are.
Conferences need to prepare for what will come next.
Dave Wilson made a contribution.
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