So, any thoughts on how this will pan out?

The Hyper-Intelligent Loyal One thinks the MW will offer some concessions on both the poaching fees and the exit fees, but not much. In addition to the dollars themselves, if the MW gives up too much the Pac-? will just turn around and poach UNLV. Especially since MW $ promises to UNLV are highly dependent on the poaching/exit monies.

As I have stated previously, I think the Pac-?'s lawsuit is a joke and should have simply been thrown out. Our arguments are pathetic. On the exit fees, these are standard in all conferences, although I've read where indeed they are often bargained down.

WSU is cutting men’s and women’s field events and limiting sprint events going forward. School will continue indoor/outdoor distance events and cross country.

That's what they get for botching the "MWC grab."

We might not get PAID much to play but they have embraced the P-12 and playing the Cougs! Could be fun.

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would make the most sense to pickup (tallest midget). Assume AF would be out as well.

Personally, I’d go with UNM. PAC12 is going to be a really good basketball conference and football needs someone to kick around. ABQ has a million people in their MSA as well.

And I’d take them over Texas State. No brand and sitting solo in Texas like a pimple.

It is what it is.

What the Pac-12’s new media rights deal could include | Analysis​

Jon Wilner
June 18, 2025

The Pac-12 is on the brink of securing the next piece to its multiyear reclamation project. A media rights deal could be announced this week but should be sealed before the month concludes.

Heck, the agreement could become public before you read the following Hotline predictions. Yes, we’re going there. Where’s the fun in waiting for facts?

The following forecast is based on information and insight collected over the course of months, not up-to-date information provided by sources. (Only a handful of people know the details, and they aren’t talking.)

Our goal is to provide fans with a reasonable range of outcomes in key categories to avoid surprises when the deal becomes public.

And please note: We aren’t plunging into the membership issue here. The conference must add at least one all-sports school by July 1, 2026 to meet certification requirements. (We expect that school to be Texas State.)

Although the Pac-12 could disclose the identity of member No. 9 when it reveals the media deal, our hunch is that decision will be announced separately.

Here we go.

Term length prediction: Five years

Context: The Pac-12’s media rights contract cycle begins next summer when the five Mountain West schools and Gonzaga officially join the conference. A five-year deal would conclude at the end of the 2030-31 competition year.

That’s a critical window for the industry. The Big Ten’s media deal ends in 2030, followed by the expiration of the Big 12’s agreement in 2031. The men’s NCAA tournament and College Football Playoff deals terminate in the spring of 2032. Two years later, the SEC’s deal expires.

We suspect members of the rebuilt Pac-12 are wary of signing anything that locks up their media rights well beyond the early 2030s. They want the flexibility to respond to whatever comes next in conference realignment.

That said, a deal that runs for seven or eight years — but includes an opt-out window after five — is also a possibility.

Valuation prediction: $70 million annually

Context: In our view, any deal that pays between $7 million and $10 million per school annually would fall within a reasonable range. At $70 million, each of the nine members would collect $7.8 million.

But there’s a caveat — two caveats, actually:

— If the ninth member only receives a half-share of the media rights revenue in a given year, a $70 million annual deal would spin off $8.3 million to each of the full-share members.

There are numerous examples of partial-share deals across the land, from Stanford and Cal in the ACC to Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten, and we suspect the Pac-12 will pursue that option, at least for a few years, for its ninth member.

— The Pac-12 is expected to implement a revenue distribution model that encourages investment and rewards success. Similar to the plan implemented by the ACC this year, it could be structured to account for factors like TV ratings and College Football Playoff and NCAA tournament bids. Don’t be surprised if schools at the top end of the revenue chain receive closer to $10 million in media rights in a given year.

One piece of additional context: At $7.8 million annually, the deal would more than double the roughly $3.5 million that Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah State and San Diego State receive from the Mountain West. (Boise State has a separate deal and earns slightly more.)

Network partners prediction: The CW, ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)

Context: Assuming the deal spins off between $7 million and $10 million per school per year, the network piece is arguably the most interesting element — and perhaps the most important.

Whatever the Pac-12 schools collect in media revenue, they won’t come close to matching counterparts in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC. That makes exposure for the product absolutely vital.

The rebuilt conference cannot be irrelevant. It must have a significant portion of games on linear television (either over-the-air or cable networks).

We view a package of football broadcasts on The CW as highly likely, considering the existing partnership for 2024-25, with additional inventory on ESPN and the Turner networks owned by WBD.

That said, don’t be surprised if Fox or CBS is involved instead of, or in addition to, ESPN or WBD. The Pac-12 could have as many as four network partners.

Fans should expect a sizable number of games to air on streaming platforms, as well. That is increasingly the way of the world in college sports, for both football and basketball.

The other component of high interest to the Hotline, which may or may not be addressed in the media rights announcement: the football schedule.

How many games per season will be slotted on Thursday and Friday?

Will the conference play on Sunday or Monday?

Commissioner Teresa Gould has said the Pac-12 entered the media rights process with a “blank slate” approach, and networks are typically willing to pay for the flexibility to place games in unconventional broadcast slots.

Don’t be surprised if the deal includes a twist, or two.

Jon Wilner

I suspect Baumgartner to be involved as well.

Politics aside, any Cougar fan or college sports fan should welcome the reform. WSU can't compete in this NIL pay to play era, so any guardrails from the Feds would be welcome news.

Sounds like it per Jon Canzano:

"When I ask the involved parties of the new-look conference about the media rights distributions, they always downplay the money part. Everyone in college athletics likes and needs money to operate, but I understand what they mean ... the industry insiders keep pointing toward $10 million to $12 million per (Pac-12) school. But if you can get more exposure and a better partner for $8 million to $10 million, you'd jump all over that."

With their Pac-12 nest eggs, I could see the two flagship schools prioritizing partnerships with ESPN, TNT, CBS and so on over a larger media payout from Apple, Netflix and/or Amazon.

Maybe a little surprising Boise and the other G5 call-ups would agree as they have exit fees to pay and likely much smaller available cash reserves. But maybe the MWC evacuees have no say so until they actually officially join the conference in 2026?

WSU AD Anne McCoy issues statement following House settlement​

Greg Woods
June 7, 2025
The Spokesman-Review

PULLMAN — At Washington State and everywhere else in the college athletics landscape, a new era is upon us.

The House vs. NCAA settlement was granted final approval on Friday, paving the way for athletic departments to begin directly paying athletes via an annual revenue-sharing pool, which will be capped at $20.5 million in the first year. It begins on July 1, the same start date as WSU’s fiscal year 2026.

“WSU has been preparing for this moment and will operationalize a budget structure for each of our programs to put the scholarships, academic stipends, and name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments to use where they will be most impactful,” McCoy said in a statement published Saturday. “This programmatic autonomy will ensure that each of our head coaches can maximize the resources available to continue leading as we transition into the new Pac-12 Conference.”

The biggest spenders across the country will fund the full $20.5M and much more, which will be made possible by payments from boosters and NIL collectives, perhaps furthering the gap between top programs and those who can’t spend as much.

WSU will allocate $4.5M for football revenue-sharing, McCoy said in January, indicating that number also includes scholarships. It’s unclear what kind of money that leaves over for true revenue-sharing — and how many spots the school plans to fund, which included the full 85 last season, McCoy said. The Spokesman-Review is attempting to reach McCoy for an interview for next week.

While the Cougars’ $4.5M figure might be a fraction of what the bigger spenders across the country are paying out to their rosters, the number figures to be competitive within the new Pac-12 Conference, which launches beginning with the 2026-27 season. New members include Gonzaga (which, without a football program, will enjoy the benefit of being able to allocate more funds for men’s basketball), Colorado State, Boise State, Fresno State and Utah State.

As of Saturday, the Cougars’ football team is slated to have 114 players for the upcoming season, nine over the roster limits of 105, which are part of the House settlement. That includes 75 players listed on the summer roster, 26 incoming freshmen and 13 transfer players — forcing head coach Jimmy Rogers and Co. to make decisions on how to get to 105 players or fewer.

WSU’s athletics budget for fiscal year 2026 will be $74.4 million, university regents announced on Thursday. That’s about the same as WSU’s fiscal year 2025 budget, but it’s down significantly from the 2024 budget, which was $85M. The Cougars had to pare down their spending in the wake of the traditional Pac-12’s collapse, which took place in August 2023.

When it comes to revenue-sharing distribution on WSU’s football team, much of the decision-making will fall to general manager Ricky Ciccone, who came over from a similar role at Louisiana last season.

“All you’re doing is assigning a dollar amount,” Ciccone said in an interview with the Spokesman-Review. “It used to just be, he’s a one (scholarship), and you had 85 of them. Now you have a dollar amount. So you’re assigning a dollar amount to player X, player Z.”

Greg Woods: Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

Not shocking.

Caitlyn Clark was assessed a technical foul on this play.

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So we lose a kid from Cashmere, WA to UNLV (remember, one of those bottom feeders). Gee, BSU, Boston College and - of course - Wake Forest all reportedly offered.

Click for free article

Edit: If the San Diego Union-Tribune won't let you read the article for free, then here's MSN with the same article for really free:
MSN: San Diego State, 4 others formally leave Mountain West

Some actual numbers are out from Athletics (Brand X article below). Couple of items of note:

• 2024 Apple Cup revenue was $1.7M, not the $4M that had been thrown around last Fall. Big surprise!
• Pac-2 distributions - $37M+ for both years. A bit more than the $30M that I thought was FY 25's budget amount. So double that to include OSU, and that is $150M for the pair. Count the $10-oddM each for FY24, and there goes $170M of our windfall. Throw in the poaching fees and we are up to $225M. Bye war chest!
• Other than Apple Cup, I don't see Media/TV revenue in either year. I thought we had figured about $6M for FY 26?
• No apparent amount for athlete revenue sharing which starts the Fall?

Be interested in seeing how this all stacks up against OSU and the 5 Traitors....