Postscripts: Big 12 Media Days, Pac-12 TV Deal Awaits, ACC Partners With CW
What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, takeaways from Big 12 Media Days, a Pac-12 update, the ACC makes a TV move and more.
Big 12 Media Days Takeaways
Well, Big 12 Media Days in Arlington was a lot of fun. With 14 teams, here are 14 takeaways from the event.
– In the words of Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels is a “dude.” Great talking to him. He’s totally bought into what Kansas is trying to do. And that modified Apple Watch with his highlights from last season is the Media Day accessory all Media Day accessories aspire to be.
– All four new teams were excited to be in the Big 12, but UCF’s energy level was just … different. UCF coach Gus Malzahn called the Big 12 the “deepest conference” in the country. He might not be wrong about that. But let’s play some games before we say that for sure.
– Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said all the right things in their final Big 12 Media Day. Both are focused on winning the Big 12, as they should be. If they weren’t, It would be a disservice to their players that won’t be there in 2024 for the move to the SEC. Venables is a long-time Big 12 and Big Eight guy (he played at Kansas State under Bill Snyder). I think there’s a part of him that will genuinely miss being in the conference.
– I love the Neal Brown “we’re being disrespected” energy after West Virginia was picked 14th in the Big 12 Media Poll. I just hope the play on the field proves everyone wrong. He’s the only true “hot seat” coach in the Big 12 this season.
– Commissioner Brett Yormark’s walk-and-talk opener to his press conference was … different. I glanced up from my computer, saw him walking across the stage and for a brief second I thought he was lost. His comments on expansion were what I expected. The league has a plan. I personally believe they have multiple plans. But Yormark has learned enough after one year that he can take the horse to the water but he can’t make it drink, if you know what I mean. I think, like the rest of us, he’s in wait-and-see mode on what happens next.
– The shots that Big 12 deputy commissioner Tim Weiser took at Oklahoma and Texas (more at Texas, honestly) were a bit unwarranted, in my opinion. But, you must also keep in mind that Weiser dealt with the two schools as Kansas State’s athletic director from 2001-08. So he has experience dealing with OU and Texas as both a collegial administrator and a conference administrator. So some of that is likely coming from his former experience. Plus, it didn’t fit in with Yormark’s desire to make sure that UT and OU are “celebrated” this year.
– The bow tie was the tie of choice at Big 12 Media Days. They were everywhere. It’s hard to say who wore it best, but UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee is definitely in the running.
– Ah, Dana’s back. Dana Holgorsen leads Houston back into the Big 12 with his running joke of an answer to questions — “I don’t know, you tell me?” I did not see him with a Red Bull the entire day and I’m legit worried about him.
– I want to send my condolences to Baylor coach Dave Aranda on the passing of his father, which happened shortly before media days. It was something all of us at HCS were unaware of. Aranda was his usual, reflective self and appreciated each of our questions. I’m not sure there’s a more thoughtful coach in the game right now.
– I’m still trying to figure out the Scott Satterfield fit at Cincinnati. I’m just not there yet.
– Our Bryan Clinton got some one-on-one time with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione and he’ll have some great stuff for you in the next few weeks. His comments about NIL and NCAA legislation — which you’ve likely already heard about — are just the tip of it.
– I dare you spend 10 minutes with Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire and not come away more optimistic about whatever you’re down about. He just exudes it. He loves what he has in Lubbock this season and I think they can contend for the Big 12 title game. But I also think McGuire’s ability as a game manager needs to get better. His decision-making against TCU in the fourth quarter last season still makes me cringe. But, hat tip for the suit-lining tribute to former Tech coach Mike Leach.
– After listening to Mike Gundy on Wednesday, I came away with the impression of a coach that just seems exhausted with all of this non-football stuff. His “I’m almost considering the NIL and the portal like religion and politics where it’s not even worth discussing” was one of the best quotes of Day 1, but I think it’s also indicative of a coach that may be thinking he didn’t sign up for all of this and would rather be on the farm. I could be wrong.
– One story I’m looking forward to writing is on Houston center Jack Freeman. I almost never get to approach the quarterback transition from the point of view of the guy snapping the football, but Freeman gave us some good stuff on Wednesday.
This Week in ‘As The Pac-12 Turns’
It’s the week before Pac-12 Media Days and one member of the Pac-12 CEO group told John Canzano that the media deal “will be worth the wait.”
Man, I hope so, because if the Pac-12 has been waiting for a year for a deal that wasn’t worth the wait then this has been a massive waste of time.
By the way, the Pac-12 faces the media on Friday. It will be the first time that I know of that commissioner George Kliavkoff has spoken publicly this year. Unless I’m wrong. Which is entirely possible.
Will there be a media deal? The contours of one? Another “It’s just gonna be a few more weeks?”
We’ll see.
The ACC-CW Deal
The ACC’s TV deal with the CW is a smart one for all sides. The ACC is taking games that would normally appear on regional networks and taking them to a national market. The CW has affiliates in nearly every major market. That should boost ratings. The ACC also likely gets a little extra money.
Raycom, the ACC’s partner for decades, will handle the production. That means a turnkey approach for the CW, which doesn’t have that apparatus for sports. It also assures viewers will get a quality product.
The CW gets the chance to prove it can be a viable distributor of sports television. That’s something it has to prove in order to be a bigger player in the market.
It’s, as Michael Scott would say, a ‘Win-Win-Win.”
Does this hurt the Pac-12? I don’t think so. If the league were to enter into a deal with the CW, it would be for lower-tier football and basketball games and would likely feature a similar approach — the Pac-12 Networks would handle production and the CW would distribute. The CW could even have a doubleheader on Saturdays as a result.
This even helps Big 12 member Cincinnati, which is set to be on the first CW game against Pitt on Sept. 9. Now it’s a national game for the Bearcats.
The Alumni Game at Rucker Park
The Big 12 is headed to Rucker Park next week for its youth clinic, with 11 different coaches set to make the trip. The Big 12 had hoped that, at some point, it would be able to have an exhibition game at Rucker Park, perhaps as early as 2024. Well, the NCAA has tabled, for now, any discussions of summer exhibition games for men’s and women’s basketball for another year.
But I did ask Yormark at Big 12 Media Days about whether any exhibition game could happen. He said that the league is considering an alumni game.
And now my wheels are turning. A few weeks back, I suggested the Big 12’s coaches play a coaches’ game. I even put together teams.
But now? An alumni game? Oh give me a few weeks on that. All kinds of possibilities.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
