I would argue that a primary reason Pac-12 teams draw fewer eyeballs is very much because Larry Scott put games on a conference network that isn’t available to many people, and he schedules nationally televised games at times that aren’t appealing to much of the country. How many people in the East, Midwest and South want to watch a game that’s on at 10:30 at night?. That means less revenue, which means weaker programs, which means less viewers, which means less revenue, and round we go. It also causes a problem in recruiting top football players, because they want to be on TV, and Pac-12 teams aren’t on as often.
When I was growing up in Ohio, on Saturday TV we had the early afternoon game for teams east of the Mississippi River, and then we had the late afternoon game for teams west of the Mississippi. That was it, and it worked fine.
You could argue that but your argument wouldn’t be supported by facts.
This past season, USC-UCLA was played at 3:30PM EST, so when the whole country could watch it. OSU-PSU the same week was shown at noon EST (so when parts of the West Coast weren’t even up yet). OSU-PSU got nearly 5 times as many viewers as USC-UCLA.
OSU-UMich shown noon the next week drew over 6 times as many viewers as USC-UCLA. The Iron Bowl drew a little less than 6 times as many viewers as USC-UCLA.
The simple fact of the matter is that Pac games just don’t draw as many viewers as B10 and SEC games, even if they are shown at more attractive time slots.
Larry Scott has done a poor job and the Pac-12 Network has coverage, availability and scheduling problems. Larry Scott is even considering 9 AM PST games. And the overall football “state of play” in the Pac-12 has been less than stellar. The big draws like USC and Oregon had some lean years, although Oregon is obviously on big time upswing and may get to the CFP this year. And the rest of the conference is mediocre. Utah and Colorado have improved, as UDub, though their long time coach just left. Stanford was very good for many years, but has fallen back to mediocre too. Anyway, the football hasn’t been good and Pac-12 network isn’t available to many out here.
It’s a very real possibility that the P5 teams play only conference games and elite OOC games. Why pay a cupcake to come play when ESPN isn’t interested in televising it?
@AlwaysMoving - based on the numbers for the NFL draft ESPN will certainly not have a problem with a Cupcake game as long as it has a good school to beat up the cupcake, which happens in most years, and the cupcake gets very well paid for the game which would hurt them a ton if they do not play it. I think the schools will have a smaller season more due to timing w missing spring practice . And that assumes dorms are open, I can see schools letting fall sports kids on campus but not regular students and I doubt the NCAA will say yes to football but no to women’s soccer for example.
“Larry Scott has done a poor job and the Pac-12 Network has coverage, availability and scheduling problems. Larry Scott is even considering 9 AM PST games”
He’s getting criticized a ton and for good reason as the visible sports - football and basketball are not doing well. But there are 7 pac-12 teams in the Director’s Cup top-25, the most of any conference, big-10 is next with 5.
The PAC12 network is horrible. In Denver, it is on Comcast but not on Direct TV (we get the B1G10 network) or Dishtv, so some bars don’t even get the CU games. It is ridiculous. Then for fun, ESPN and Fox get to cherry pick the games they want from the PAC12 network. Last year the CU-CSU game was a ‘home’ game for CSU (it’s played in the Bronco’s stadium which changes its name every year or so so we just call it Mile High Stadium), and the rights were on CBS sports. It followed the Syracuse v somebody stupid game which was more than 5 hours long and so we all missed the first half. HALF. And it started at 7:30 pm. No watching Ralphie run, no bands.
Because of the ESPN and Fox preferences, game times are often not announced until 2 weeks before the game. We had a reunion planned for the Nebraska game with people flying in from all over the country and we didn’t know if the game was starting at 10 am, 1 pm, or 8pm. Very difficult to make plans. Very. If games start at 8 pm Mountain time, they end at midnight.
There was an article in our paper last year when enough people complained about game times. Those rights were sold to Fox and ESPN for millions. MILLIONS. The PAC 12 network sucks. I’m happier when the network doesn’t claim a women’s lax game as then the team streams it and I can watch online. If the PAC 12 network claims it, I can’t watch Not a lot of bars open at 10 am on a Sunday morning.
I’m a big proponent of the Directors Cup, but I hope you’re not inferring that Larry Scott has anything to do with the success of the Pac-12 in those sports that no one watches, like golf, baseball, water polo, gymnastics, v-ball, rowing, etc. That’s almost all coaching and talent. And in the case of a Stanford, UCLA, Cal and/or others, there’s also elite academics and location(s) too.
I receive the Pac-12 network on Comcast, and I think I’m the only one tuned into the those sports no one watches. ?
Maybe not as fun, but winter football is on the table, including for northern schools. Some northern NFL teams play outside all winter long, the youngsters can too.
This 19 slide slideshow offers lots of facts & information.
Refers to the 50 public schools in the 64 team Power 5 Conferences. 12 are private schools (Northwestern, Stanford, USC, Notre Dame, TCU, Univ. of Miami, Baylor, Duke, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, & Syracuse) which may not be required to report publicly. Not sure about the other 2 schools however.
Correction to my post #17 above (first page of thread).
Should have written that 11 of the 64 Power 5 Conference schools are private.
I forgot to list TCU as a Power 5 Conference private school. Texas Christian University (TCU) has about 9,200 full time undergraduate students.
I mistakenly listed independent Notre Dame as a Power 5 Conference member. It does belong to the ACC for other sports, but ND remains as an independent in college football.
HS and college practice starts up in August and that is worse than games on the players. First week of Sept is still brutally hot in TX during any ordinary season. They can do night games like HS. No one ever cancelled HS or college football in TX because it was too hot.
Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, New York, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New England, and Denver all play outdoors in the winter as well. Often in snow and winter conditions.
Colleges have resources. They can bring in portable heaters and such.
Having attended a ND-UMich game in the freezing torrential rain, ON OCTOBER 26, 2019, I wouldn’t be going to any outdoor football games in January or February.
I’d actually have to wear long pants and something other than my flip flops. ?