🏈 Pac-12 won’t change scheduling to ‘skate through’ to playoff

[Max]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Pac-12 has no plans to change its football scheduling policies and philosophies, including playing nine conference games, to enhance the league’s chances to place a team in the four-team playoff.

Commissioner Larry Scott said Wednesday conference coaches and administrators discussed during meetings this week whether there are ways to better position their teams for College Football Playoff selection. The Pac-12 has failed to have a team chosen three times in the CFP’s five-year existence, more than any other P5 league.

In addition to playing nine conference games, several Pac-12 schools infrequently play FCS teams, and will routinely schedule two Power Five nonconference opponents in the same season.

“It’s pretty apparent our schools do not singularly focus on how do we skate through as easily as possible?” Scott told reporters.

The Big 12 and Big Ten have nine-game conference schedules and Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference teams play eight-game league schedules. The Big Ten and Big 12 have each missed the playoff twice. The SEC and ACC have had playoff representatives every season.

Scott said CFP considerations are only part of scheduling decisions. Pac-12 television contracts with ESPN and Fox were struck with a nine-game conference schedule in mind.

“We’ve got obligations. It doesn’t mean it would be impossible, but up until now our schools haven’t wanted to change,” Scott said. “Our schools like playing against each. Don’t really like going into the buying of games market.”

Paying for one-off home games against lower-level Division I opposition has become costly. Top Power Five schools frequently pay more than a million dollars to have an opponent come to their stadium with no return road game. Also, Scott said, Pac-12 schools have a difficult time drawing fans for games against lesser competition.

“Our fans aren’t going to come out to our stadia for any game. They come out for high-quality games,” Scott said. “There’s pressure our campuses feel to have a high-quality slate of games. There’s a perception that scheduling to make the playoff is the first priority for our schools.”

Scott cited Southern California and Stanford’s traditional rivalry against Notre Dame as an example of the Pac-12′s scheduling philosophy.

USC has also played a home-and-home series with Texas and a neutral-site game against Alabama in recent seasons in addition to the annual game against the Fighting Irish. This coming season, Stanford will play Northwestern and UCF in the nonconference along with Notre Dame.

There is nothing the Pac-12 can do to push the SEC and ACC to play more conference games, though Scott did say the Pac-12 would support the Power Five conferences agreeing to have their teams play at least 10 games against each season against P5 competition, regardless of conference.

“Directionally, that would create the kind of parity we want,” Scott said. “It would say it would definitely be in a step in the right direction.”

 

[TerryP]

I read this (pasted below) several weeks ago and it makes a paragraph here jump out to me.

“We’ve got obligations. It doesn’t mean it would be impossible, but up until now our schools haven’t wanted to change,” Scott said. “Our schools like playing against each. Don’t really like going into the buying of games market.”

Paying for one-off home games against lower-level Division I opposition has become costly. Top Power Five schools frequently pay more than a million dollars to have an opponent come to their stadium with no return road game. Also, Scott said, Pac-12 schools have a difficult time drawing fans for games against lesser competition.

1) There isn't a top P5 school in the PAC right now.
2) No one, I mean NO ONE, likes doing things they can't afford.

No kidding you "don't relaly like going into the buying..." when you're only paying schools in your conference peanuts compared to the other P5 conferences.

2018: $2,666,667 per school
___

Officially, the schools were advised to avoid budgeting for a specific revenue amount and that in an extreme, worst-case scenario, the networks would still manage to break even.
However, in a pre-launch presentation attended by athletic directors, Scott dazzled the room by providing three ranges of annual payouts (once the networks had exited the start-up phase).
According to a source who attended the presentation, those payout ranges were:
High end: $7 million-to-$10 million per school per year
Middle: $5 million-to-$7 million per school per year
Low end: $3 million-to-$5 million per school per year.

In reality, the payouts have been even lower than the low end, and even though schools were advised to avoid budgeting a specific amount, most figured to at least plan for the lowest number on the low end of the scale.

The figure provided on the website is a lump-sum amount. Two Hotline sources with access have copied down that amount over the years, then dived by 12 to determine the payouts to each school.
Those payout numbers are as follows:
2013: None listed
2014: $862,000 per school
2015 $1,677,500 per school
2016 $1,980,250 per school
2017: $2,522,167 per school
2018: $2,666,667 per school
Over the six completed fiscal years of the networks’ existence, the total payout per school, as tallied by campus officials, is $9,708,584 per school — not even at the top end of the single-year range referenced by the source who attended Scott’s presentation.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Like philosophy....fans like competitive games...fill stadium for them....
Fans like inter- conference games...but some of those are chunky like all P-5 conference games.... but still better than what Bama schedules out of conference...lot better

 

[planomateo]

If they were smart, they'd immediately fire Larry Scott and his band of knuckleheads.

“Our fans aren’t going to come out to our stadia for any game. They come out for high-quality games,” Scott said. “There’s pressure our campuses feel to have a high-quality slate of games. There’s a perception that scheduling to make the playoff is the first priority for our schools.”

I get his focus here is on the 9 game conference schedule. But honestly, where is the last time the Pac-12 has provided a "high-quality game"...

Taking a detour for a second. Pac-12 with their Friday night games and not to mention they had 35k show up to the Pac-12 conference championship game last year...LOL. Larry Scott is outta touch with the product.

 

[18Champs]

but still better than what Bama schedules out of conference.

Are you still blaming Bama for agreeing to a game with an opponent the ACC chose?

 

[18Champs]

@planomateo, I can't see your attachment.

fans like competitive games

where is the last time the Pac-12 has provided a "high-quality game"...

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Are you still blaming Bama for agreeing to a game with an opponent the ACC chose?

Yep.....and a bunch of directional schools...a lower division school.... every year
And....Vandy and KY arent far off from appearing on the schedule...2022&23 wow

 

[50+yeartidefan]

If they were smart, they'd immediately fire Larry Scott and his band of knuckleheads.



I get his focus here is on the 9 game conference schedule. But honestly, where is the last time the Pac-12 has provided a "high-quality game"...

Actually there have been a bunch.... and i like the Friday night games....and Thursday night....
a Washington-Washington State....Stanford- anybody. and lots more It’s good football.SEC good.not now..but all sec aint that good...ky vs vandy..pew...missouri-Tennessee..pew...etc....so pac 12 isnt on top right now... was in-past....and will be good in future

 

[252BAMA]

Are you still blaming Bama for agreeing to a game with an opponent the ACC chose?

Huh!? Don't know if you are referring to Louisville or Duke, but the ACC had nothing to do with either. The PTB's at the Camping World Kickoff game and the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic scheduled those teams. And because they were unable to schedule better opposition, it is obvious by looking at Bama's future OOC schedules that Bama is no longer looking to schedule neutral site games. That's not to say they won't, but if they were looking to do so they would be leaving a third year between the ones scheduled. The USC and Miami games were already scheduled when that decision would have been made.

2019 - Duke (Atlanta)
2020 - USC (Dallas)
2021 - Miami (Atlanta)
2022 - @ Texas
2023 - Texas
2024 -
2025 -
2026 - @ West VA
2027 - West VA
2028 - @ Note Dame
2029 - Notre Dame
2030 -
2031 -
2032 - @ Oklahoma
2033 - Oklahoma

 

[planomateo]

Actually there have been a bunch.... and i like the Friday night games....and Thursday night....
a Washington-Washington State....Stanford- anybody. and lots more It’s good football.SEC good.not now..but all sec aint that good...ky vs vandy..pew...missouri-Tennessee..pew...etc....so pac 12 isnt on top right now... was in-past....and will be good in future

I'm looking for the unlike button

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Ha Ha on Pac 12....skateboarding is about their limit. Hell Hoover had more at their playoff game than the PAC 12 CG.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

I'm looking for the unlike button

. That help...lol
I liked your "liked" face better....
Hey...keep it quiet...but I even liked some big 12 game...

 

[TerryP]

The PTB's at the Camping World Kickoff game and the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic scheduled those teams. And because they were unable to schedule better opposition, it is obvious by looking at Bama's future OOC schedules that Bama is no longer looking to schedule neutral site games

with an opponent the ACC chose?

Both statements are essentially true, are they not? The group that selects the opponents had the commitment it be a team from the ACC and it the end it boiled down to Duke stepping up to the plate. It's no secret there were other teams contacted.

 

[252BAMA]

Both statements are essentially true, are they not? The group that selects the opponents had the commitment it be a team from the ACC and it the end it boiled down to Duke stepping up to the plate. It's no secret there were other teams contacted.

Was not aware that they were committed to the ACC. Surprised that Gary Stokan would be committed to anyone. He has always attempted to provide the best possible match-up. The only time that I can remember that not being true was in 2012 when he brought NCSU in to play ut. But that was understandable with him being a NCSU grad,