The Pac-12 Is Struggling To Stay Afloat In Relevancy, One Media Pundit Thinks The End Is On The Horizon

The ongoing saga surrounding the Pac-12 and its media rights deal continues on into late June. For all the optimism that something would happen in the near-future, many are left wondering if it will be enough. One of those who thinks the future is bleak is Paul Finebaum.

What was once a running joke, has now turned into a monster problem for remaining members of a once proud conference. There are not many suitors when it comes to putting the Pac-12 product on television, and if they did, it wouldn't be anywhere near primetime slots.

No, those have been taken by the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC. All of these conferences having their future setup with television networks has sent the Pac-12 spiraling out of control. Many around the conference will tell you that things are at least optimistic in-regards to the future, but those are the one's without a place to land.

There have been conversations between the Big 12 and Colorado for a potential move, while it seems Washington and Oregon will one day make the jump to the Big Ten. It only feels like a matter of time before realignment begins, again. It's not as if the SEC and Big Ten want to expand at the moment, they'd rather hang back and enjoy their new members. But, it sounds like the Big Ten and Big 12 will be ready to take-in a few more members down the road.

Paul Finebaum Is Ready To Put The Final Nail In Pac-12 Coffin

One person who has seemingly put the nail into the Pac-12 conference is Paul Finebaum, who went after Commissioner George Kilakoff. Will the conference be able to survive in the longterm? Finebaum gave a pretty grim answer.

“I do not believe so, I don’t know how it can, Greg,” Finebaum said on the McElroy and Cubelic show Tuesday. “Because the situation is so fragile right now. The leadership is better than it was, but it’s still not very good. I could give the new commissioner (George) Kliavkoff a pass maybe a year, year and a half ago because his predecessor literally ran this thing into the ground. But he’s had enough time. And I think so far, you have to give him a failing grade. Ultimately, as much as big conferences don’t really want to expand at the moment, I think they’ll be forced to take the cream of the crop out there.”

Finebaum is in-line with the rest of college football in their thinking of how this goes down. He sees the Big 12 taking Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, while Washington and Oregon head to the Big Ten.

Member schools of the Pac-12 have implemented financial cuts because of the ongoing media situation, with Washington State cutting back its budget.

At the end of the day, this will come down to whether or not the media deal that is signed is good enough for the current roster of schools. Even then, I see Colorado and a few others getting out of the Pac-12 before this thing falls off the cliff.

Once a dominant conference. the Pac-12 has now turned into teams desperately needing a television network. Paul Finebaum is expecting chaos, even if they get a decent media deal.

“I do not believe the Pac-12 can exist."