Radical ideas for the Pac-12 football schedule to (potentially) boost media rights value and “separate” itself
Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould has used the phrase “blank slate” to describe her strategic approach to the next era, particularly with regard to the rebuilt conference’s pending media rights package.
Because it has six new schools and no existing media deal, the Pac-12 can follow a proven path, clear new terrain or find a middle ground for a contract cycle that will begin in the summer of 2026.
Multiple industry sources have indicated the Pac-12’s likely valuation range is $7 million per school per year on the lowest end and $12 million per school if everything breaks just right with the number of bids and the structure of the deal.
That structure depends, in part, on the football schedule. For the linear TV networks, dollars offered and flexibility obtained move in lockstep. Whether it’s ESPN, Fox, The CW or Turner (TBS, TNT), they likely pay more if given freedom to create quality matchups in optimal broadcast windows.
The Pac-12 discovered that relationship 15 years ago, when then-commissioner Larry Scott, under orders from the university presidents, traded away full control of the kickoff times to ESPN and Fox in exchange for additional revenue.
The strategy led to a heavy load of night games and six-day kickoff selections, which combined to create years of angst and frustration across the conference.
But the dynamics are different this time. The seven football-playing schools committed to the Pac-12 starting in 2026 have embraced a start-up mentality.
If so inclined, they could schedule games on Tuesdays. Or have teams play twice (like the NFL does with intra-division opponents). Or set kickoffs for 9 a.m. on the West Coast. Or play conference games at neutral sites.
The Hotline has written frequently about football scheduling strategy in the past. Many of the concepts are as viable for the rebuilt conference as they were for the Pac-12 six or eight years ago.
Four come to mind, in particular:
1. Labor Day weekend
The Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend are there for the taking with no NFL, but college football has been slow to occupy the space.
Just two games are scheduled for Aug. 31 next season (South Carolina-Virginia Tech and Notre Dame-Miami), and there’s only one lined up for Labor Day itself (TCU-North Carolina).
Projecting out to 2026 and beyond, the Pac-12 would have numerous broadcast windows available for non-conference games. Or it could take a bold approach and slot high-level conference matchups (think: Washington State-Boise State) into the open real estate.
2. Friday nights
The slot once reserved for the Pac-12 has gained popularity with the networks and will be crowded next season.
The ACC recently announced 12 Friday games, the Big 12 revealed plans for 10, and the Big Ten could play nine or 10 based on its 2024 schedule.
All 30-something will be shown by the Fox and ESPN networks, but most will start at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. (Pacific) in order to maximize the prime-time window on the East Coast.
If we assume that broadcast plan remains in place for 2026, there could be room for a doubleheader, with the Pac-12 providing the nightcap at 7:30 or 8 p.m.
It would be the Friday equivalent of the #Pac12AfterDark broadcast that was a Saturday staple for years. And it would offer a terrific vehicle for the network to promote its lineup of Saturday games.
3. Thanksgiving Eve
The Hotline has long viewed the Wednesday of Thanksgiving week as the greatest untapped terrain available for the major conferences and their media partners, with an audience desperate for football and nothing available.
“It could be the right opportunity for somebody and a way to separate themselves from other conferences,” Dave Brown, a former ESPN executive and creator of Gridiron, a popular scheduling service, told the Hotline last fall.
Preparation time is the greatest obstacle. Players need at least four days between games, meaning the participating teams would need to play the previous Thursday or Friday, which disrupts two weeks of competition, or they would need a bye the Saturday before the game.
In our view, the payoff — in dollars and eyeballs — would be worth the effort.
4. Sunday evenings
The Hotline’s most radical idea might prove too aggressive for the Pac-12, but it’s worth considering a few kickoffs each season on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
The first quarter would overlap with the final 45 minutes of ‘Sunday Night Football,’ so a selective approach by the Pac-12 and its media partners would be required: Avoid Sunday night at all costs if the Chiefs are playing the Cowboys; but take your shot if the Colts are facing the Vikings.
Fox could promote the game during its afternoon NFL broadcast and use it to pump the Big Ten or Big 12 game scheduled for the following Friday.
We know at least one subset of the football audience — the gamblers — would love having a Pac-12 game on Sunday night.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline