The conference could be open for business if the right opportunity surfaces.
“I consider the Pac-12 an exclusive club with a high barrier to entry,’’ Kliavkoff said Thursday when asked about a Houston Chronicle report indicating that Big 12 anchors Texas and Oklahoma are interested in joining the SEC.
“I love the schools and the teams we have today. We are not actively seeking to poach any teams from any conferences. But we’d be foolish not to listen if schools call us.”
If Texas and Oklahoma were to join the SEC (or become Independents), it’s unclear which Big 12 schools would be attractive to the Pac-12 given its desire for universities that fit culturally and competitively, bring significant media value and meet the conference’s academic standards.
(Of the eight schools potentially left behind, only Kansas and Iowa State are members of the prestigious Association of American Universities.)
But Kliavkoff’s open-minded stance on Pac-12 membership mirrors his position on so many other matters:
Everything is under consideration for the conference, which has new leadership during a transformative time in college athletics.
“There are one or two things that could be considered ongoing, and then others that are longer term,’’ he said. “But our top priority, not only for me but for our schools, is to be the No. 1 conference in supporting student-athletes.”
(The day NIL became the law of the land in college sports, Kliavkoff issued a statement supporting the “leading-edge and comprehensive NIL programs” implemented by Pac-12 schools.)
Kliavkoff on Thursday also reiterated his commitment to breaking the Pac-12’s national championship droughts in men’s basketball (24 years) and football (17 years).
“(The No. 2 priority) is to put in place all the mechanisms at the conference level that are needed for us to win championships in football and men’s basketball,” he said.
“But having said that, despite the focus on football and basketball, we aren’t going to step away from our heritage of producing dominating Olympic sports. I think you can do both those things. In fact, I think one feeds on the other.
“And longer-term, we’re going to spend the next few years working on ways to optimize the distribution of our media rights.”
www.mercurynews.com
“I consider the Pac-12 an exclusive club with a high barrier to entry,’’ Kliavkoff said Thursday when asked about a Houston Chronicle report indicating that Big 12 anchors Texas and Oklahoma are interested in joining the SEC.
“I love the schools and the teams we have today. We are not actively seeking to poach any teams from any conferences. But we’d be foolish not to listen if schools call us.”
If Texas and Oklahoma were to join the SEC (or become Independents), it’s unclear which Big 12 schools would be attractive to the Pac-12 given its desire for universities that fit culturally and competitively, bring significant media value and meet the conference’s academic standards.
(Of the eight schools potentially left behind, only Kansas and Iowa State are members of the prestigious Association of American Universities.)
But Kliavkoff’s open-minded stance on Pac-12 membership mirrors his position on so many other matters:
Everything is under consideration for the conference, which has new leadership during a transformative time in college athletics.
“There are one or two things that could be considered ongoing, and then others that are longer term,’’ he said. “But our top priority, not only for me but for our schools, is to be the No. 1 conference in supporting student-athletes.”
(The day NIL became the law of the land in college sports, Kliavkoff issued a statement supporting the “leading-edge and comprehensive NIL programs” implemented by Pac-12 schools.)
Kliavkoff on Thursday also reiterated his commitment to breaking the Pac-12’s national championship droughts in men’s basketball (24 years) and football (17 years).
“(The No. 2 priority) is to put in place all the mechanisms at the conference level that are needed for us to win championships in football and men’s basketball,” he said.
“But having said that, despite the focus on football and basketball, we aren’t going to step away from our heritage of producing dominating Olympic sports. I think you can do both those things. In fact, I think one feeds on the other.
“And longer-term, we’re going to spend the next few years working on ways to optimize the distribution of our media rights.”
New Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff talks realignment (if the Big 12 folds), CFP expansion, media strategy in wide-ranging interview
New commissioner George Kliavkoff said everything is on the table, from realignment to media rights, in a wide-ranging interview following reports that Texas and Oklahoma could exit the Big 12.
www.mercurynews.com
