Links below. Stupid BS lawsuit by ASU swimmer gets approved. Now the NCAA says schools can pay athletes directly. Oh and Penn State is going to spend $700 million to enhance its 106,000 capacity FB stadium.

OK Cougs, it's time to get real. Let's make sure you are all aware that WSU is not eligible to participate in the 12 team CFP playoff in 2024, because we will no longer be P5, and we are not in a G5 conference. While we are eligible to compete for the WCC title(s) in BB, we get -0- money from any NCCA tournament allocations even if we earn them (recall that women's BB might start getting their own allocation crumbs.)

The Pac-2 has to keep the conference alive to get the approx. $30M in FY 27-30 NCAA BB tournament allocations. If we bailed in FY25, we would lose year 2, and maybe(?) the $50M final Rose Bowl allocation. Or have to share with the traitors. I can't find an answer to that one.

WSU cannot compete with the P4 in NIL, paying players directly, or FB ticket revenues. I am sure that I am missing some things. To hold out and try to beg our way into the ACC or Big-12 is just a suicide mission on many fronts, including the above and the logistical costs involved.

So it is imperative that we recognize reality and engage the MW in the reverse merger to become the Pac-12/14. For FY 2026. F- year 2 of the WCC deal. F-the year 2 highway robbery of our shitty affiliation deal with the MW. F paying out our precious $250M (and being spent by the day) to lure any subset of MW or other teams to join the new Pac. Get us in our new league next year, start earning NCAA BB money again, and be positioned for whatever the top G5 team(s) may get in the next iteration of the CFP. And be a real league for upcoming FY 27 TV negotiations as the MW deal ends in FY 26. And finally, hope to keep some of our Bowl affiliations, logically the Holiday and/or LV, both of which are in MW cities.

This is so obvious, and so logical.

Hey all Great News, I finally found a RV in Spokane, that I can afford. I have 6k in bank, and RV cost $5000.

It was on a Craigslist ad.

The back end, edge where end, side meet has slight warping of fiberglass, and Lamination fading, peeling.

And there is a slight leak on top of the Slide out. He says I can either fix it, or have slide out, slid in to avoid leaking.

He was upfront, honest in ZOOMED in photos of the slight problem areas.

I once owned a 79, 40 ft 5th Wheel that had leaky roof, that I fixed by getting cans of sealant paint, and painted, sealed whole roof. I sold it for $850, paid $500.

I'll have 1300 left over in bank, after taking out, if I take out $5000 to buy the RV. I have a place to park it, either in my unused apt parking spot, or at friend from church who said I can park it there, in exchange for them being able to use it for their family reunion.

So in about 3 to 9 days after the guy gets over his cold, a friend of mine who knows a lot about RV's, is going to give me a ride to bank, get a contingent $5000, then inspect the RV, then if still want it, immediately buy it, immediately give him the money, fill out the title transfer paperwork, immediately hitch it up behind friends truck, tow it to either my parking spot, or friends place that lives near Ford, then try to fix leak, throw RV cover, protector over it, continue to save for months, then either pay a company to ship it down there, then catch a plane down there, or pay a friend about $1000 to take me, trailer, my stuff, to RV park, down there, park me, drop me off.

I'm doing it that way, so that another buyer, doesn't swoop in and buy it out from underneath me. I don't want to take a bus, inspect it, then arrange to buy it another day, and then find out that somebody else bought it. This way hopefully that won't happen.

Also I'll have to find insurance, pay for minor repairs, continue to save, etc.

If everything works, etc, then $5000 is a great deal for it, as no RV that cheap is perfect.

He says he wants to upgrade, and needs money for medical bills, so he wants to quick sell it, and hopefully help another person enjoy it as much as he has.

I hope it's worth getting when I inspect it, and that I am able to get it.

The pictures of it look pretty nice, on both outside, inside, except for the 2 problem areas from up close, but further back, can't easily tell, see, don't notice the 2 problem areas, etc, at least according to what I see in pictures, and he was very honest in both pictures, and what he told me, as he said the Reason why showed the 2 problem areas, in pictures, etc, is that he wants buyers to know what they are getting.

He is from Iceland. His highlights look good.

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What a shit show this whole thing is:

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Think I'll copy and paste the Pac-12 leadership roster and check back in a few months to see how it looks. Better be a lot smaller. Pac-12 networks also of course.

Boy, after my son's visit, I don't see it happening any time soon. Here's why. We went through the College of Engineering sales pitch as part of an admitted student event. This is what they said. They have stopped "self limiting." They will only limit based on space, you are admitted to the college right up front, because they have plenty of space. "Don't let having difficulty with math or science dissuade you." That raised my eye brow a bit. Back in the day, you needed at least a B in math 171, 172 and Physics 201 to be admitted, end of story. Most of my freshman dorm floor came in wanting to be engineers, only a handful managed it, because of that gauntlet. Well, having heard that message, I assumed that what they were say was, "don't worry, we have the support in place to get you up to speed." Nope, they really meant it. I chatted with two engineering students as we waited to go on the facilities tour. Both admitted that they struggled to pass Math 171, and one said he had to take physics 201 twice, failing it in junior college.

WSU has sunk to the point that they are willing to hand out engineering degree to the most minimally qualified candidates now. It is all about enrollment numbers. Sad but true. It isn't only athletics that has collapsed under Schulz' watch.

A brandx poster posted about Okafor a few days ago saying he committed (and 2 other as well). Apparently now official. He was injured last year after 9 games. PF/C at 6'9" 235. Not much offense. Rim protector, defense, and boards.

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I'm going to post this link without comment because I'm sleepy and am going to bed. Looking for comments and intelligent observations (good luck, eh?). I will post my incredibly insightful, probably witty, and no doubt profound far-seeing comments in a day or two.

Ok guys. This non-autonomy relegation is a bummer but not surprising or undeserved. Why should the Pac-2 get voting power equivalent to the 12-14-18 (I can't keep track) team P4?

So. Let's quit F-ing around hoping for a Big-12 invite (they don't want us and it would suck anyway), or some far-flung ACC restructure (won't happen, it would REALLY suck and they don't want us anyway).

Do the reverse merger with the Mtn West ASAP before one or more of them gets plucked out from under us. Save a few bucks on our 2025 affiliation option and - wow - maybe actually share in some media money and NCAA allocations to be earned in '25 and later. Won't cost us a dime and will save money as we jettison most of all of the Pac-2 Administration in favor of Gloria and gang.

Salvage what we can from the current bowl affiliations before contracts expire in 2026. Which makes it imperative that we move SOON. Alamo, Holiday, Sun and Vegas in order of preference/payout. With San Diego and Las Vegas as new Pac-12/14 hometowns, we may stand a chance of keeping the Holiday and Vegas. Sun Bowl can go away IMHO.

Stretch the cash windfall out as far as we can as we readjust. Don't forget the NCAA BB payouts in years 3-6, which we get only if the Pac remains in existence.

I am aware that the above concept has never been thrown out by the All-Knowing and Superior-Intellect Loyal One, so I favor you all by spelling it out here. Feel free to chime in with roaring approval.

Jon Wilner
April 20, 2024 at 7:00 am Updated April 20, 2024 at 7:00 am
The Hotline mailbag publishes each Friday. … Please note: Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.

What are the odds of a reverse merger between the Mountain West and the Pac-12 versus the Pac-12 simply poaching a selection of Mountain West schools to rebuild the conference? — @MarcSheehan006

It hinges, in part, on your definition of a reverse merger. But generally, we see three possible outcomes:

• All 12 schools vote to dissolve the Mountain West and join Washington State and Oregon State in rebuilding the Pac-12.

• At least nine but not all 12 schools vote to dissolve the Mountain West — a super-majority vote is required — and they join the Pac-12, leaving a few behind.

the latest from jon wilner​

• Between four and eight schools give notice that they are leaving the Mountain West in the summer of 2026 to join the Pac-12, a scenario that leads to departure fees for the outbound schools and a poaching penalty for the Pac-12.

The top candidates to leave are fairly clear and would bring competitive success, media value or both: San Diego State, Fresno State, Boise State, Colorado State and UNLV.

The schools in jeopardy of getting left behind would be some combination of Hawaii, Utah State, Nevada, Wyoming and San Jose State, depending on the number of spots available.

Air Force and New Mexico fall into a middle tier, in our view.

Which scenario is most likely?

That would depend entirely on who else is available.

Washington State and Oregon State would prefer that another round of realignment creates a path into the ACC or Big 12 or some larger combination of those two conferences.

The next-best scenario for the ‘Pac-2’ schools would entail an ACC implosion that results in Cal and Stanford joining WSU and OSU in a rebuilt Pac-12. (In that case, the reconfigured conference would target only a few schools in the Mountain West.)

The third scenario would leave WSU and OSU with no path into the ACC or Big 12 and no possibility of Stanford and Cal returning. They would be forced to think bigger than a reverse merger with the Mountain West.

They would consider Gonzaga as a non-football member.

They would explore enlarging the conference footprint to include schools in Texas, with UTSA as an intriguing target.

They might even entertain the idea of creating a bicoastal league with schools in the Eastern Time Zone.

Keep in mind an essential element to the calculation: The Mountain West’s media deal with Fox and CBS expires in the summer of 2026, which coincides with the deadline for the emergence of a rebuilt Pac-12.

The media rights strategy will inform expansion decisions for WSU and OSU, and vice versa. The ‘Pac-2’ will attempt to create the most valuable entity possible.

And quantity doesn’t always equal value.

Are we overestimating the likelihood of a reverse merger? The Mountain West may not have a 100-year legacy, but it’s their legacy. — @Moneyline_RAY

Yes and no.

At this point, the likelihood of WSU and OSU executing a reverse merger, with either nine or all 12 Mountain West schools is less than 50-50.

But the chances of WSU and OSU partnering with some combination of Mountain West schools under the Pac-12 banner is close to 90%. Unless there’s a path into the ACC or Big 12, the Cougars and Beavers won’t have any other option.

Granted, we should not discount the possibility of WSU and OSU joining the Mountain West in a traditional expansion move.

But in our view — and despite everything that has unfolded in the past two years — the Pac-12 name and intellectual property are more valuable than the Mountain West name and intellectual property.

(How much more valuable? We can’t quantify the amount.)

And here’s one more piece to consider: Central to the long-haul strategy in Pullman and Corvallis is providing a landing spot in case the NCAA undergoes a massive restructuring — the formation of a super league, for instance — and several of the departing universities consider reversing course.

In that case, an active, competitive conference using the Pac-12 name would be more attractive.

Sponsored​

We keep hearing the ‘Pac-2’ schools have a two-year grace period under NCAA rules. But don’t they really have 12 or 14 months to formalize their plan? — @erikmiletich

Your timeframe is about right. In order for a rebuilt Pac-12 to emerge in the summer of 2026, the process for adding schools would need to begin sometime next summer.

The ‘Pac-2′ schools don’t necessarily need a formal media rights agreement in place by that point. But they would need to have the membership piece locked down.

The other element, of course, is the Mountain West’s penalty structure. Our understanding is that schools would owe approximately $18 million if they give more than 12 months’ notice and roughly $35 million if they give less than 12 months’ notice.

So, let’s mark June 30, 2025, as the Hotline’s unofficial deadline for Washington State and Oregon State to finalize their next move.

Can you interview former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff to follow up on the conversation from the ‘Canzano and Wilner’ podcast from the fall of 2022? What went wrong? — @mlondo856

I would love to and, in fact, have made several attempts in the past nine months to interview Kliavkoff. He’s not interested. Radio silence is his preferred approach.

But it’s not just the Hotline. Kliavkoff has not uttered a public peep since the conference imploded on Aug. 4. No offerings of regret or remorse. No apology to WSU, OSU and fans across the footprint.

As we wrote when his term concluded at the end of February, Kliavkoff doesn’t believe he has reason to apologize, according to sources.

He blames the collapse entirely on the presidents’ poor leadership, the difficult circumstances he inherited (from Larry Scott), and the schools’ refusal to accept the Apple deal he placed before them.

His stance is, of course, ludicrous. Of course he bears some responsibility.

But he has the right to remain silent.

Any estimates on how much former Oregon State tailback Damien Martinez will make now that he’s in the transfer portal? — @bdgiddens6

Our guess is that Martinez lands a deal in the mid-six-figure range, so anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000.

How much will be guaranteed? How much will the agreement lean into incentives? We can’t answer and don’t really care.

Money played a factor in Martinez’s decision to enter the transfer portal, but it wasn’t the only factor.

He wants the largest platform possible for his final season in order to prove to NFL scouts that he’s worthy of being a high-round draft pick.

The stouter the competition, the better.

In that regard, his decision was comparable to Jonathan Smith’s move to Michigan State. They craved competition, exposure and resources on a higher level.

We remain optimistic about Oregon State’s long-haul status in college football and basketball — the industry will eventually restructure to the point that the ‘Pac-2’ schools are on the same tier as many schools remaining in the power conferences.

But the next few years will be brutally, indisputably difficult.

Do you think the current state of NIL is broken? If so, how would you fix it if you were head of the NCAA? — @BennyL1986

It has been broken from Day One, July 1, 2021, when the NCAA prohibited schools from participating in the NIL process, thereby ensuring the booster-run collectives would control the marketplace.

Not quite three years later, the NCAA is moving toward a complete policy reversal and permitting athletic departments to broker the deals between the athletes and their business partners.

The shift will add oversight but won’t dampen the market.

What might bring some sanity?

If athletes are declared employees and paid salaries by the schools — we think that step is inevitable in the next two or three years — the impact of NIL opportunities on recruiting and transfer decisions could diminish slightly.

Like so much else about college sports, NIL is an absolute mess.

Why do you hate on Washington football so much? — @jakekwood

There is no hate. The Hotline doesn’t hate any team or school. We don’t even dislike any team or school.

Picking against a team to win during the season does not indicate an inherent bias.

All the fans who believe I’m anti-Husky because of the weekly picks seem to have forgotten that I projected Washington to win the Pac-12 championship eight months before the season began.

UW’s march to the title made the Hotline look smart. Given all the times my predictions are wrong, I’m never opposed to being right.

What do you think of the Ivy League? How does it fit into your assessment of the college athletic scene? — Lawrence Grant

When we think of the Ivy League these days, we think of irony.

With its absence of scholarships and heavy emphasis on academics, the Ivy is closer to the NCAA ideal of amateurism than any other conference in Division I.

And yet, it’s at the center of the revolution, courtesy of the Dartmouth basketball team voting to unionize.

With an assist from the National Labor Relations Board, the Green Wave voted 13-2 last month to join Service Employees International Union Local 560.

The process will take time to play out. But if successful, the players would form the first labor union in college athletics.

Jon Wilner: jwilner@bayareanewsgroup.com

My kid made it!
Btw... family coming in to town checked out hotels in the area. As a for instance.. motel 6 in Lewiston 600 bucks a night. I can see making your money while you can but good Lord.
They're all staying in Spokane and driving the hour and a half.

Couple of recent links below on Jaylen Wells. Of course we all assume he's gone, but what is doesn't get drafted, or is low low second round?

The second link is a bit dated, but note that they project Isaac Jones at #58.



Another one that shows him as undrafted.....

..."wait for it" as they say....

If the money is greater to have this a neutral site game every year, don't be surprised to see this happen.

I wouldn't call it a 'deal".​

WSU, Oregon State land TV deal for home football games in 2024 | Analysis​

Jon WilnerMay 14, 2024 at 11:47 am
A process that began last summer concluded Tuesday morning when Washington State and Oregon State announced a media rights agreement for their home games in 2024, when they will compete as a two-team football conference in the aftermath of the Pac-12’s demise.

Eleven of their 13 home games will be shown on The CW, with the other two on either Fox or FS1.

“It’s the best-case scenario,” said a source familiar with the negotiations. “It allows them to stay relevant.”

(No information about the teams’ road games in 2024 was made available; those matchups are controlled by the opponents’ media partners.)

WSU football home game schedule​

WSU football games will air nationally on The CW Network and Fox Sports in 2024
Although the Pac-12 Networks will cease to exist as a media distribution company at the end of June, the conference has retained the Bay Area production facility and will use the infrastructure to produce The CW broadcasts.

Our four-part reaction to the news:

• 1. The financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal is expected to generate approximately $1 million per game for the Cougars and Beavers.

That’s a paltry amount compared to what the 10 departing universities will receive under the terms of their agreements with the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. But cash was a secondary consideration to exposure for the ‘Pac-2’ schools.

In that regard, the agreement with The CW and Fox represents a massive upgrade.

Most OSU and WSU games over the past decade were shown on the Pac-12 Networks, which reached roughly 15% of the TV homes nationally.

The CW and Fox are broadcast networks available in 99% of TV homes.

“Given the number of times in recent years they’ve been exiled to the (Pac-12 Networks),” a second industry source said, “it will be good for everyone in the country to have access to all their games.”

• 2. The CW, which owns the rights to LIV Golf and NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, is steadily adding to its college football inventory after years of standing on the sidelines.

Last summer, the network announced it would broadcast 13 ACC football games annually through the 2026 season via a sub-licensing agreement with ESPN, which owns the ACC’s media rights.

The CW is expected to promote its Pac-12 package during ACC broadcasts and use ACC games as a lead-in to WSU and OSU matchups.

Each school will have one game on Fox or FS1: Texas Tech at Washington State, and Oregon at Oregon State.

• 3. Another key piece for two schools that have played so many night games over the years: The CW kickoff times are favorable.

Two of WSU’s six home games are locked into afternoon windows, while three more could start in daylight. Only one, against San Jose State, is guaranteed to kick off after dinner.

Meanwhile, four Oregon State’s seven home games have been scheduled for afternoon or early evening starts; the others could kick in afternoon windows.

“Most of the windows are conducive to ticket sales,” a source said.

• 4. The windows are also conducive to network studio shows.

During all the uproar over the Pac-12 night games — and the extent to which they were inconvenient for fans — an important element was often overlooked: #Pac12AfterDark had no shelf life.

Because the night games typically ended at 11 p.m. on the West Coast, there were few chances for highlights to appear on the influential ESPN, Fox and CBS studio shows that are produced during peak viewing hours on the East Coast.

By the time football fans in the eastern half of the country rolled out of bed on Sunday morning, the networks had transitioned to NFL coverage.

But The CW has afternoon and prime time (East Coast) windows available for the ‘Pac-2’ games, giving studio shows numerous opportunities to show highlights of WSU and OSU and discuss whatever narratives develop in Pullman and Corvallis.

For the schools left behind in the realignment game, relevance is far more important than revenue.

The Cougars and Beavers have enough cash to navigate the next few years thanks to a settlement with the departing universities worth in excess of $200 million.

What they need now — what they cannot survive without — is exposure.

The deal with CW and Fox offers exactly that.

Jon Wilner: jwilner@bayareanewsgroup.com