PAC-12 Could Collapse, Former Oregon Coach Claims

The situation surrounding the PAC-12 continues to sound incredibly grim.

The conference continues to attempt to land a new media deal, but to call it a disaster thus far would be the understatement of the year.

Not only does the PAC-12 not have a new media deal, but no major network or streaming service seems interested in playing ball. Without a new deal, the conference is 100% going to collapse, and former Oregon coach and AD Mike Bellotti can see it unfolding with his own eyes.

Former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti believes the PAC-12 could collapse. (Photo by Jay Drowns/Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

"I have that impending sense of doom. All my life, I've always been a West Coast guy. … I can just see falling apart," Bellotti told CBS Sports when talking about the situation.

He also wasn't alone. Former Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez told CBS Sports, "What is to stop Oregon and Washington from going to the Big Ten, from Arizona and Arizona State going to the Big 12? I would think they're teetering on the brink right now."

The PAC-12 is in serious trouble.

While PAC-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff might not want to admit it, the conference is absolutely on the brink of collapse.

As we've covered here multiple times at OutKick, it all comes down to the Big Ten. Oregon and Washington reportedly believe there are spots waiting for them in the B1G.

If that's true and they believe that, neither school has any incentive to sign a lowball media rights deal that locks up the programs for years. If Oregon and Washington won't commit, which is the smart thing to do for them, no media company will pay anything of serious value.

Without a serious media deal, PAC-12 teams will soon look to the Big 12 for stability and rush to the lifeboats. It could not just collapse, but collapse very quickly. That's essentially the exact same points made by Rich Rod and Bellotti.

Could something change? Could a major company come in and play the role of savior? Sure. It's a fluid situation. Anything is possible, but that seems highly unlikely. It just takes one domino to fall in the sequence of events as laid out above to crush the conference. As the former coaches stated, they believe it's not just a far off thought. It's very possible.

Will the PAC-12 fall apart? (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Kliavkoff better land a hail Mary play or the PAC-12 could be relegated to the dustbin of history.