The PAC/MWC Dominoes Begin to Fall

[SDHornet]

Conference affiliation announcements shouldn't come from Dr. Wood unless a conference already announces it first. None of that matters if Dr. Wood can't bring the stadium across the finish line.

Only new news on the Pac front is that new lawsuits started flying from the departing MW members to get out of or reduce the exit fees they have to pay. I haven't read up on them much but it sounds like the lawsuits have a low chance of success. This tells me the new Pac members saw the new media deal valuation/projections and are realizing they are going to need to find more cash from somewhere or it's just a tactic to get the MW to settle on lower fees. Not sure why else you would give a ton of billable hours to your legal counsel for a case you are likely to lose.

 

[Hornet25]

I have no inside knowledge, but I will also try to connect the dots based on timing of recent events.

I agree with SD that the lawsuits regarding exit fees most likely coincides with projected media revenue. If those revenues are low, there will be no poaching of high level teams from Eastern conferences. Hence the reassurance to insiders that an announcement will be made "soon". Fresno and SDSU are not a part of the lawsuit yet, but that makes sense as they have wanted into the Pac so bad for so long that they've already accounted for the exit fees in their budget.

It would be very difficult to nail down a coach like Marion without being able to tell him the direction of the program. Would also explain why Vick would throw his hat into the ring when he was all but guaranteed a HC gig with an FCS program in his hometown/state. (Vick and Sac State both benefited from the ESPN news)

My takeaway is the Twitter commentors (even high profile ones) saying it's over for Sac State don't know anymore about the situation than you or I. They actually probably know less.

 

[BuckeyeHornetFan]

I don't want Wood or Orr announcing anything regarding a conference, I want the conference to announce something.
That in itself would mean stadium anything would have to kick into high gear development.

Agreed. That's exactly what I was suggesting in post #555.

 

[the Rat]

Mailbag: Pac-12 assets and CFP revenue, the postseason calendar, the Sac State expansion option and more

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John Wilner, sports reporter, Bay Area News group

Is Sacramento State a realistic expansion option for the Pac-12, or are the Hornets a better fit for the Mountain West? — @MarcSheehan006

Sacramento State has done a fabulous job marketing itself as an expansion candidate for the Pac-12 or Mountain West and went so far as to set a goal of securing $50 million in NIL pledges this fall. Last we checked, the Hornets had roughly $35 million pledged.

(Note: They do not have $35 million in hand, much less the $50 million that an ESPN report suggested earlier this week.)

Sacramento State is an FCS program that resides in the nation’s No. 20 media market, is reasonably close to the Bay Area tech money and has easy access to high-level recruits. (Folsom High School is a powerhouse.)

But we have not received confirmation of serious interest by the two FBS conferences, which are taking contrasting approaches to expansion.

The Mountain West is hustling to increase membership, having added UC Davis (in all sports but football) and currently targeting Northern Illinois. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 paused expansion in order to focus on media rights negotiations.

Something else to consider: The Big Ten and SEC don’t want more FCS schools making the jump to the FBS — they believe there are too many mouths to feed already — and have made their feelings known at the highest levels.

Our hunch is that Sacramento State will remain an FCS school at least through this round of western conference realignment.