*** The Pac-12 Hotline newsletter is published each Monday-Wednesday-Friday during the college sports season (and twice-a-week in the summer). This edition, from Dec. 20, has been made available in archived form.

Slice of the Apple(?)

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Apple has engaged in what were described as preliminary discussions with the Pac-12 about a potential strategic partnership on media rights.

Our reaction: Don’t overreact, Pac-12 fans.

First of all, the conference has discussed the future of its media rights (and a possible equity investment) with a slew of companies in the past year, and no deal has been reached.

Anyone can talk to anyone.

Second, Apple’s push to acquire sports content for Apple TV is, thus far, only theoretical.

Third, the rights to the Pac-12’s most valuable inventory — the 40-something football games currently owned by Fox and ESPN — are locked up through the 2023 season.

And finally: It wouldn’t be smart to bind those football games to Apple TV exclusively and keep them off linear TV or the major cable outlets.

The last thing the conference needs is for its most valuable product to be gated off from the rest of the Power Five.

While the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 dominate the airwaves that drive college football viewership and narrative — and recruiting — the Pac-12 would be invisible.

That said, if the conference could arrange for a sub-licensing deal, by which Apple owned the content and farmed it out to ESPN or Fox, then an arrangement might be worth exploring.

But that would require multiple tango partners.

The Hotline’s advice to the schools (which will be repeated in coming years, I’m sure):

Don’t repeat the mistake of a decade ago: The next round of media rights negotiations cannot be a pure money grab.

Visibility, exposure, reach — call it what you want — is vital for a thriving product.

If the recruits and the fans can’t watch you play, why bother? — Jon Wilner.

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Hot off the Hotline

• Our recruiting recap from the first day of the early-signing period focused on the pictures big and small — from the pipeline issues facing the Pac-12 in the middle of the defensive line to the number of four- and five-star signees, from successes (Oregon and Washington) to struggles (USC and Arizona) and everything in between.

• The Hotline’s picks against the spread for Pac-12 bowl games were published Friday morning, with an assist from handicapper Raphael Esparza of Doc’s Sports. Bottom line for the conference this postseason: Oregon needs to win.

• Previous editions of the newsletter are available in archived form.

Support the Hotline: Several Hotline articles will remain free each month (as will the newsletter), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe. I’ve secured a rate of $1 per week for a full year or — introductory offer alert! — just 99 cents for the first month, with the option to cancel anytime. Click here. And thanks for your loyalty.

Key Dates

Select men’s basketball games included (all times Pacific)

Dec. 18: Football early-signing window opens
Dec. 21: North Carolina vs. UCLA in Las Vegas (CBS, 12 p.m.)
Dec. 21: No. 13 Dayton vs. Colorado in Chicago (CBSSN, 3:30 p.m.)
Dec. 21: No. 20 SDSU vs. Utah in L.A. (Pac-12 Networks, 3:30 p.m.)
Dec. 21: Las Vegas Bowl: UW vs. Boise State (ABC, 4:30 p.m.)
Dec. 27: Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Iowa (FS1, 5 p.m.)
Dec. 27: Cheez-It Bowl: WSU vs. Air Force (ESPN, 7:15 p.m.)
Jan. 20: NFL Draft early-entry deadline

Trivia Time

• Each Friday, the Hotline will pose a Pac-12 trivia question related to current events on the field or the court, with the answer provided in the Monday edition. Today, we ask: Chris Petersen’s most-famous call was the Statue of Liberty play against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. But that was just one of three trick plays in the final minutes that pushed Boise State to victory. Can you name the other two?

Huddle Up

(Note: The Hotline newsletter includes links to sites that could require a subscription once the number of free views has been reached.)

• Another day, another Stanford player in the transfer portal. This time, its starting quarterback K.J. Costello, who might not be the Cardinal’s starting quarterback if he sticks around.

• ASU coach Herm Edwards didn’t waste much time replacing departed defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales. The Sun Devils have elevated Tony White, who served as the passing game coordinator under Gonzales.

• He’s back (and so soon): Receiver KD Nixon announced he would return to Colorado for the 2020 season one week after announcing he was headed to the NFL.

• Three draft-eligible USC players (receiver Tyler Vaughns, defensive tackle Jay Tufele and offensive tackle Austin Jackson) are delaying their NFL decisions until after the Holiday Bowl.

• Meanwhile, USC quarterback Kedon Slovis is an early betting favorite for the 2020 Heisman Trophy. “If I could bet on him,” playcaller Graham Harrell said, “I’d bet on him, but that’s not legal.” (Depends on what you mean by legal, Graham.)

• Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton was named a comeback player of the year by the Mayo Clinic — as in, the Mayo Clinic.

• Marcus Arroyo is “pulling double duty” in roles as Oregon’s playcaller for the Rose Bowl and UNLV’s new head coach. Will that impact Oregon’s preparation? We’ll know on Jan. 1.

• Now this is interesting: Jason Shelley, Utah’s No. 2 quarterback, could switch to defense for next season.

• Yahoo breaks down the Las Vegas Bowl. Of note: “Washington is just 4-8 in bowl games since 2000.”

• UCLA defensive line recruit Mitchell Agude overcame long odds to reach this point. For instance: the coma. “The doctors told my parents that I was going to be a vegetable my whole life.”

• Cam Bynum, Cal’s all-conference cornerback, is weighing his options — turn pro, or return for 2020 — but is “mainly focus on the game, because we still got another game left.”

• We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, but Oregon plans an open competition at quarterback in the post-Herbert era.

Recruiting Trail

• Colorado signed the program’s highest-rated recruiting class in more than a decade. “This is a small recruiting world and it’s getting smaller,” Mel Tucker said. “All these top players, all these guys, they all know each other. And they’re all looking to see who is going where and who is visiting where.”

• USC coach Clay Helton defended the indefensibly low-rated recruiting class, which makes up for its low quality with low quantity.

• Utah snatched a four-star cornerback away from Ohio State when Clark Phillips made major Day Two news. We expect him in the Utes’ rotation, if not the starting lineup, next season … The Utes then trolled Ohio State. (Well done.)

• Given the substandard season and the coaching change, Washington’s recruiting class “had to be a beautiful sight for Huskies fans,” writes the Times’ Matt Calkins.

• Arizona, more than any program save USC, needs a strong finish to the recruiting season.

• Pac-12 recruiting superlatives, courtesy of 247sports analyst Brandon Huffman, who pegs as his sleeper recruit the WSU-bound son of a familiar name.

On the Hardwood

• Two days later, Utah’s victory over Kentucky feels as large as it did at the time, both for the Utes and the conference.

• Two days later, we’re still struggling to comprehend Arizona State’s 40-point loss to Saint Mary’s.

• Oregon freshman N’Faly Dante wasted no time announcing his presence in his first game with the Ducks.

• UCLA forward Shareef O’Neal is making the case for more playing time after an impressive performance against Notre Dame.

• Stone Gettings (facial fracture, concussion) could return to the Arizona rotation this weekend.

Medal Stand

A section devoted to content on Pac-12 Olympic sports.

• Arizona landed two-sport star Lauren Ware for next season thanks to a tag-team recruiting effort by the volleyball and basketball programs.

• Kathryn Plummer and the Stanford volleyball team will play for the national title on Saturday, against Wisconsin.

• Major honor for Washington State’s Magda Jehlarova, who was named national Freshman of the Year. According to the Spokesman-Review, she is “the first Cougar to earn a national freshman of the year award in any sport.”

• Washington’s commitment to defense has powered the 7-2 start.

• Cal coach Charmin Smith and point guard Jaelyn Brown are the core of the rebuilding Bears, writes Pac-12 columnist Michelle Smith in her latest.

• Stanford is sitting on a ‘jump-shooting gold mine‘ as it prepares for the start of conference play while atop the AP poll.

• Finally, the Pac-12 Networks announced that Kate Scott and Yogi Roth have signed “multi-year contract extensions.”

Looking Ahead

What’s coming on the Pac-12 Hotline:

• Expect the ‘Saturday Night Five’ reaction column to be published in its standard spot after the action concludes on the field and the court.

• Jimmy Lake takes charge of the Washington football program on Sunday. We spoke to someone who can relate to the challenges awaiting Lake and will publish the column at dawn (literally) of the new era on Montlake.

• Quick note on the Hotline’s holiday schedule: We’ll shut down on Christmas Day, but that’s it: Content is planned the rest of the week and straight through into 2020.

The next newsletter is scheduled for Monday. Enjoy it? Please forward this email to friends (sign up here). If you don’t, or have other feedback, let me know: pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.