Previewing Pac-12 media day: From the television deal to Coach

• Kyle Bonagura Close Kyle Bonagura ESPN Personnel Author Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Gone To Washington State University.Paolo Uggetti Jul 21, 2023, 07:00 AM ET The Pac-12 heads to the desert Friday

• in its new, informal house– Las Vegas– for media

  day to kick off

the 2023 season.It’s a pivotal year for the Pac-12 with the most packed group of quarterbacks in college football, a crucial media rights deal on the horizon and the goodbye tour for UCLA and USC after almost 200 combined years in the conference.But before we get to Friday, here are a few of the most pressing questions surrounding the conference worth diving into.What’s the most recent on the Pac-12 media deal?Paolo Uggetti: Nothing appears to have actually materially changed– the Pac-12 needs a new deal and hasn’t revealed one, though Tuesday sources informed Heather Dinich the offer would come in the

“near future.”The longer this drags on, the more the pressure constructs on commissioner George Kliavkoff to deliver something, anything. Perhaps the delay ends up being well worth it and the conference gets a great deal. However there’s likewise a likelihood the offer will be unsatisfactory and panned throughout the college football world. Kliavkoff will definitely get inquired about this on media day, and though I do not expect him to exactly reveal anything of compound, it’s been an overall bad look for the conference to not have something currently in location provided how much it keys whatever else, most notably, expansion.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Kyle Bonagura: We’ve been hearing about “future “for nearly year. What’s still not clear is precisely how to define what that implies. Days? Weeks? A month? End of the season? This was a subject last season and, at the time, it seemed possible that an offer might be done in 2022. The media rights offer is necessary since it will be explanatory about what the conference’s future appear like, but I can’t keep in mind a more yawn-inducing storyline that has actually brought an offseason. A lot of fans could not care less about the play-by-play of media rights settlements. It constantly made good sense the deal would deserve somewhere in the series of what the ACC and Big 12 got and any distinction in the per-school monetary circulation– basically– would not be a meaningful amount. Nothing that’s agreed to is going to end continued conference realignment in the future. More is inevitable.What does the final year for USC and UCLA look like?Uggetti: Anticlimactic? The statement of their departure to the Big 10 already feels so long ago that this season might feel like just a procedure. USC will definitely be in contention for the conference yet again, and I can’t envision the Pac-12 will feel terrific about sending them out the door with a prize. But ultimately, the decision has actually already been made, and both parties appear excited to move on. There will undoubtedly be lots of bemoaning the death of certain matches once they reoccur this season, however beyond that, the fuss will likely be minimal until the very end.Bonagura: It’s really a matter of point of view. The Pac-12 has been a great home for UCLA and USC for a very long time, so bittersweet sensations will be natural for UCLA and USC fans, coaches, players, and so on. An understandable company decision was made to leave, however even if that holds true, it should not lessen the history the 2 schools have in the conference. Everybody left has actually reached the phase of indifference. The most important issue is what

impact will UCLA and USC’s departures have on the other 10 schools long-term– a concern that still does not have much clarity.Can anyone unseat Utah? Under coach Kyle Whittingham, Utah has actually won back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire Uggetti: Simply put, certainly. But the truth is many didn’t expect Utah to repeat last season, and then they headed out and beat the second-best team in the conference twice in resounding style. Questioning them to win a 3rd Pac-12 title in a row feels ridiculous considering they have lots of skill on the group,

Kyle Whittingham is still

coaching and Webcam Rising will be under center. It won’t be simple. Leading the charge to unseat them will be USC, who lost twice to the Utes last season, and will certainly be aiming to have some revenge in quarterback Caleb Williams ‘final season, with a whole brand-new crop of talented transfers as well.Bonagura: Are we sure Washington should not be thought about the favorite? How about Oregon? The only thing clear going into this season is that there isn’t one clear favorite. I even like Oregon State’s chances of staying in the championship game hunt up until late in the season. Still, it’s hard to bet against Utah. It’s a device and, like Paolo pointed out, those 2 wins against USC– especially the rout in the Pac-12 title game– made a long lasting impression.Who’s the second-best quarterback in the conference?Uggetti: While the conference is deep with quarterbacks, I think the top 2 are very clear: Caleb Williams and Michael Penix Jr. Washington was a bad week far from not simply remaining in the conference title game, however perhaps contending for a playoff spot too in Kalen DeBoer’s very first season in Seattle. DeBoer’s quick overhaul of the program was led on the field by Penix Jr., who posted game numbers (4,641 backyards, 31 goals) and should have an equal or much better season with a year in that offense now under his belt. On a week-to-week basis, he’s also probably as compelling of a watch as Williams is.Bonagura: I would lean toward Penix, too, however we must absolutely acknowledge those monster stats take advantage of Washington’s offensive method. What I found intriguing in 2015, however, was that despite the fact that Penix had an extraordinary year, ESPN’s QBR stat just ranked him as the fifth-best QB in the Pac-12: 1. Williams 87.6; 2. Bo Nix 85.1; 3. Cam Rising 83.1; 4. Dorian Thompson-Robinson 82.1; 5. Penix 81.1 There was a high drop-off after that. This isn’t a definitive way to rank these people, however what it tells us is that they are all in a comparable tier. DTR is gone, but few conferences ever have this type of elite QB talent returning in the same season.Can Deion Sanders’roster restore at Colorado work?Uggetti: Even if Sanders is missing out on media day due to a medical procedure, his press conference may all be consultation television this season, not to discuss each of Colorado’s games. It’s been a disorderly offseason, but if Sanders and Co. reveal little incremental enhancements, it will be a favorable sign for his tenure provided where Colorado was last year. None of the hoopla will matter if Sanders wins, however as evidenced by their schedule, that is not going to be easy.Bonagura: Colorado is going to be much better. Part of that is because it’s nearly impossible to be worse, but there is more high-end talent on this roster and that need to

pay dividends. But let’s take a look at the schedule: TCU, Oregon and USC all in the first month (plus Nebraska and Colorado State ). The expectation here is that Colorado will have a losing record as September ends and begin conference play in an 0-2 hole. Coach Prime is going to command attention, either way, however when it comes to Colorado being a major player in Year 1? That seems unlikely.