(09-13-2021 12:27 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote: (09-13-2021 10:38 AM)TailgateTiger Wrote: PAC-12 needs in the Central Time Zone to get a competitive TV contract.
I can see that but I would imagine OK State is ready to jump and/or Texas Tech. The combo of Houston and TCU just makes no sense unless it is a literal grab for the largest TV markets the Big 12 has.
Article explains why Houston was considered in the Pac 12.
Houston is not a member of the AAU, but it’s an R1 research school. It’s public. It just built a medical school. It’s reasonably accessible from the West Coast (i.e., non-stop flights). And it’s the No. 8 media market in the country.
Also, according to Navigate’s research …
— Houston’s athletic department spent $22.92 million on equipment/facilities and $16.55 million on coaching salaries in 2019.
The median figures for each bucket in the Pac-12: $22.98 million on equipment/facilities and $20.26 million on coaching salaries — and that’s with substantially lower annual conference distributions.
(Data source: Knight Commission and USA Today.)
— The Houston football program’s average power ranking (S/P+) over the past five years is 57.4.
The Pac-12 average isn’t much better: 49.3.
— Of the Pac-12 teams, only Oregon’s viewership is higher (4.66).
(Data source: SportsMediaWatch)
And we’d add one final thought:
Once Oklahoma and Texas depart, the Big 12 will have zero presence in the massive southeastern Texas region.
The SEC will be king, of course, but there’s room for a prince. The Pac-12 should fill that void before the ACC does.
So from here, it’s clear: In the Pac-12’s expansion universe, Houston is the no-brainer No. 1 pick.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/26/i...no-1-pick/