Commissioner George Kliavkoff took the stage to discuss the Bruins and Trojans leaving the Pac-12 in 2024.
A month after the Bruins and Trojans shocked the world by announcing their move to the Big Ten, the Pac-12 is apparently still fighting a war on multiple fronts.
Commissioner George Kliavkoff kicked off Pac-12 Football Media Day by taking the podium and delving into the state of the conference as a whole. In his opening remarks and ensuing Q&A, Kliavkoff made it clear that a new world order began when UCLA and USC decided to break away from their historic home.
Kliavkoff said he was disappointed by the two schools leaving, but that the changes to the college football landscape have gone far beyond the Bruins and Trojans’ respective moves.
“Up until very, very recently, I thought the discussions were very collegial,” Kliavkoff said. “I think in the last month, that has changed, unfortunately.”
The raids might not be over, either. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said Tuesday that he is keeping the door open to further expansion, while Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormak said his conference is “open for business.”
Kliavkoff, who said he trusts the 10 remaining Pac-12 institutions to keep the conference’s best interests in mind, did not take very kindly to his competitors’ remarks.
“With respect to the Big 12 being ‘open for business,’ I appreciate that, but we haven’t decided if we’re going shopping there or not,” Kliavkoff said.
Kliavkoff later apologized for succumbing to the lack of collegiality, but clarified that the comments were a direct response to the Big 12 making attempts to poach additional schools.
“That remark was a reflection of the fact I’ve been spending four weeks trying to defend against grenades that have been lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12 trying to destabilize our remaining conference,” Kliavkoff said. “I understand why they’re doing it, when you look the relative media value between the two conferences. I get it, I get why they’re scared, why they’re trying to destabilize it. I was just tired of that.”
According to Kliavkoff, financial considerations have incorrectly become the primary factor in decision making in collegiate sports. The money surely played a part in UCLA making the move to the Big Ten, considering the athletic department is over $100 million in debt.
The new Big Ten media deal is expected to pay out $100 million annually to each member, potentially saving the Bruins from additional financial woes and preventing them from taking extreme measures to cut costs in the near future.
Kliavkoff said that he instead wants schools to prioritize the well-being of student-athletes across the board.
“There is already a lot of money in college sports,” Kliavkoff said. “Increased revenue can help us support our student-athletes, but a singular focus on money will certainly cause more harm than good.”
Kliavkoff said that he has personally instructed everyone in the conference to make sure that UCLA and USC’s student-athletes are given every opportunity to compete and succeed as long as they remain in the Pac-12, despite the decisions made by some of the schools’ higher-ups.
While it remains unlikely that either the Bruins or Trojans make the College Football Playoff before leaving for the Big Ten in 2024, the Pac-12’s senior associate commissioner Merton Hanks said that should they do so, they will be treated and celebrated as full conference members.
Kliavkoff also addressed the possibility that UCLA, facing pressure from the UC Regents and California Governor Gavin Newsom, could end up back in the Pac-12.
“I’d say UCLA is in a very difficult position,” Kliavkoff. “There are a lot of constituents related to UCLA who are very, very, very unhappy with the decision: student-athletes, families of student-athletes, faculty, staff, politicians, fans, alumni. There’s a lot of really, really upset people with that decision.”
Kliavkoff admitted that UCLA getting blocked from leaving is not the most likely outcome, but said he would be happy to have them back in the Pac-12 if need be.
“I can’t give you a percentage chance, I think it’s unlikely,” Kliavkoff said. “But if they came back, we would welcome them back.”
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