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Media Rights

The day started with a question-and-answer session with Kliavkoff and little if any new details emerged.

When asked by a reporter from the San Diego Union-Tribune if he had misled the Aztecs into thinking that they would be receiving an invite, the commissioner reiterated the principles he established early in the process.

“We’ve never given anyone an indication that anything would be different than the sequence I just mentioned, which is, get our media rights deal done, Grant of Rights signed, then we’ll consider expansion.”

Pressed on why a media rights deal had been repeatedly delayed, Kliavkoff suggested it had worked to the Conference’s advantage, saying, “the longer we wait for the media deal, the better our options get.”

He said that an “underlying shift in the media market” would give the Pac-12 a “long-term taking advantage,” while acknowledging that in the “short-term, it may have provided some hiccups.”

The most eye-popping moment came when Kliavkoff said “We’re not announcing a deal on purpose today because I want the focus to be on football.”

That led to the following exchange with the Oregonian’s James Crepea:

Crepea: You just said you’re not announcing a deal today on purpose because you want the attention to be on football.

Kliavkoff: Yep.

Crepea: To be clear, that would imply that the deal is done and codified, and you’re just waiting until after today.

Kliavikoff: I think you’re reading too much into that.

The Commissioner also said that he was not concerned about the Big 12 poaching his schools and had decided to take the high road in responding to reports that indicate otherwise.

That may be so, but until it’s announced, the buzz surrounding programs jumping to the Big 12 will remain.

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Eight Conference Games

One bit of news that broke at Media Day was the Pac-12’s exploration of playing a reduced number of conference games.

The league has formed a new subcommittee to address the issue, which will make a decision based on what’s in the best interest of its teams’ ability to make the College Football Playoff.

“The imminent expansion of the College Football Playoffs from four to twelve teams is a great reminder of what’s ultimate objective is for any conference or football program,” Kliavkoff said. “To qualify for the CFP and win a national championship.”

Kliavkoff also noted that, in the event of expansion, they would reevaluate their decision. But assuming the league stays at 10 teams, an eight-game conference season seems like it might be in the cards.

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Utah and the Big 12

Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan quickly shot down a question about the Utes potentially leaving the Conference for the Big 12 in the event that the Pac-12 were to implode.

“We are a proud member of this conference and look forward to its future success.”

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Utah’s Motivation

The Utes were picked to finish third in the Media Poll. Kyle Whittingham said he could care less about the projection, but Cam Rising’s mannerisms implied otherwise.

When asked about other questions not related to the poll, Rising would give detailed responses and appear happy to discuss whatever topic he was speaking on.

But when asked about the third-place projection, his responses were short. Several times he said, “It is what it is.” adding that he “Doesn’t care about it.”

However, Cole Bishop was a little more candid. Bishop mentioned the word “disrespect” when it came to the rankings and Rising not being on the All-Conference Team.

Utah’s culture embodies Whittingham’s workman’s personality and Rising was sure to answer in conformity with that culture.

But it’s clear that the third-place projection and lack of preseason All-Conference recognition bothers the Utah players. And for good reason. The Utes are going for a three-peat and have made two-straight Rose Bowls.

And somehow, Utah’s starting quarterback, who has led them to the Rose Bowl the last two seasons, isn’t on the All-Conference Team. The Utes themselves are picked to finish third, despite returning 13 total starters.

The disrespect certainly feels like a substantial source of motivation for Utah, even if Rising and Bishop were careful in their responses.

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National NIL Standard

Discussions about a national NIL standard were prevalent throughout the day.

Washington State’s Jake Dickert said it was needed to help level the playing field and Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan said it would be good to have a national standard.

Dickert specifically said that tampering is an issue when it comes to NIL and the Portal, but he admitted that NIL was probably why some of the league’s top quarterbacks came back.

Still, the Cougar coach made it clear that he thinks the federal government needs to make guardrails for NIL.

Kyle Whittingham said a national standard could only be created by Congress. California’s Justin Wilcox says he would welcome structure in the NIL space while stating that he was all for NIL in general.

Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham struck a slightly different tone. When asked about NIL, Dillingham said he learned how to navigate it from his time at Oregon.

“In terms of what I learned at Oregon, how to play the NIL space: That’s a cutting-edge thing in today’s day and age. I think Phil Knight almost created the space.”

Juxtaposed to that was Lincoln Riley’s position. Without outright opposing a national NIL standard, Riley said he was unsure if one is needed.

“In the beginning of NIL, it was a lot more just propaganda, a lot more that came out about NIL was false than was true. I think now we’re seeing the market, if you will, starting to settle,” he said

“You got to figure out what it really is before you know what the solution is. It’s going to take some time and I think people are going to have to be patient.”

All told, discussions on the need for a national NIL standard enacted via federal legislation were wide-ranging among the Pac-12 coaches.

But as Ronald Reagan once famously said: The most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Creating a one-size-fits-all legislation from the federal government sounds like a terrible idea.

The environment is better left to be regulated by the individual states where they can pass laws governing NIL in whatever way they see fit. If that results in some winners at the expense of some losers, so be it.

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Conference of Quarterbacks

The phrase “Conference of Quarterbacks” might not have been coined today, but it certainly was repeated.

The Pac-12 is probably the deepest quarterback league in all of College Football. From defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, the Pac-12 has elite QBs at almost every team.

Arizona’s Jayden de Laura likened the Pac-12 to the “Wild West” and said every game is like a “shootout.”

Even defensive stalwart Jake Dickert said he expects several high scoring affairs this year, while Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly said the key was disrupting the quarterback as opposed to purely focusing on sacks.

Most of the QBs were asked about Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in one form or another. But during Sanders’ availability, he stated that outdueling the other quarterbacks in the league is not what motivates him.

“Everybody’s opinion doesn’t really matter. We won’t let that negative energy in the building around us, social media. We don’t pay it no mind because that’s the expectation.”

Sanders said that accomplishing things as a team is what motivates him and that Colorado is not going to finish 11th as the media projects.

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Quality of Teams Top to Bottom

The strength of the league from top to bottom is among the best that it’s ever been. The Conference is probably as strong as it’s been since its expansion in 2011.

Kliavkoff said it’s the strongest it’s been in 20 years,  “a direct result of the investments made by our schools and their athletic departments, particularly over the past few years.”

Other than Stanford, all the teams in the league are capable of making a bowl game. And at the top, there are legitimate expectations for multiple programs to be in contention for a Playoff invite.

In fact, there might even be an argument at the end of the year for two teams from the Pac-12 to make the Playoff. A lot has to go right to get to that point, but this is the last iteration of the league with USC in the picture.

And with strong teams in Washington, Oregon, and Utah, why not shoot for the stars?

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Continuity at Arizona and Washington

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer and Arizona’s Jedd Fisch both preached continuity.

DeBoer mentioned that his entire staff returns while Fisch pointed out that this is the first time in many seasons that Arizona has the same defensive coordinator as the year before.

Both coaches clearly have expectations for their teams to take steps forward.

DeBoer said that his team has not accomplished their goals yet and that’s what motivates them.

Fisch said his team’s eventual goal is to be part of the national conversation and quarterback Jayden de Laura said the UA offense is “just scratching the surface.”

The continuity in the roster and coaching staffs among the two programs figures to show itself early in the season.