READY TO IMPLODE LEAVING THE FUTURE OF CAL AND STANFORD ATHLETICS IN LIMBO. THE UNIVERSITIES OF OREGON AND WASHINGTON ARE FINALIZING DEALS THEY ARE GOING TO THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE. ARIZONA IS HEADED TO THE BIG 12 WITH ARIZONA STATE AND UTAH RIGHT BEHIND THEM. THOSE DEPARTURES ALONG WITH PRIOR DEFECTIONS WILL PROBABLY BE THE DEATHKNELL FOR THE PAC-12 AFTER 108 YEARS OF EXISTENCE. THIS CALLS FOR THE REAL DEAL. BREAK IT ALL DOWN AND GIVE US A TIMELINE. I ALSO WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE ATHLETES AND THE FANS. >> I HAVE A FLOWCHART, IT'S NOT. >> EARLIER TODAY, I WAS LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON CAN YOU BREAK IT DOWN? YOU'VE DONE SUCH A GREAT JOB, BULLET POINTS OF ALL THE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG THAT LED TO THIS. YOU WANT TO START WITH THE TIMELINE? >> WE WILL BE HERE FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF. [LAUGHTER] >> YOU DID IT IN A TEXT, I THINK YOU CAN SUM IT UP. >> LET ME START. IT ALL STARTED WITH LARRY SCOTT PREVIOUS COMMISSIONER WHO WAS OVERPAID RIDICULOUSLY AND MADE A TERRIBLE TELEVISION DEAL THAT RELEGATED PAC-12 FOOTBALL TO LATE-NIGHT WINDOWS ON ESPN AND REDUCED EXPOSURE. LARRY'S IDEA WAS LET'S MAKE THIS VAST CABLE-TV NETWORK WHICH SOUNDED GREAT EXCEPT NOBODY WANTED TO CARRY THE NETWORK THEN WHEN ESPN OFFERED TO GO 50-50, THE PAC-12 SAID NO BECAUSE THEY WERE GREEDY AND WANTED TO KEEP ALL THE MONEY. SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH ESPN AND NOW THEY HAVE NOTHING. THEY WERE STILL TRYING A TV DEAL. THEY BROUGHT IN A NEW COMMERCIAL GEORGE -- COMMISSIONER GEORGE AND THEY BROUGHT IN A GUY WHO HAD LITTLE TO NO EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS. SO HE HAS NO SOURCES AND THAT'S WHY HE DID NOT KNOW AND WE FOUND OUT ON TWITTER WHEN USC AND UCLA SHOCKED THE WORLD CITING WE ARE OUT, WE ARE GOING TO THE BIG TEN. THAT FORCED GEORGE TO TRY TO GET ANOTHER TV DEAL BUT THE DOLLARS, LOOK AT THE ENVIRONMENT. ESPN IS CUTTING A LOT OF JOBS. ZILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE NOT THERE RIGHT NOW. IT'S THE WORST POSSIBLE TIMING FOR ALL OF THIS AND THE PAC-12, THEY ARE AT FAULT, THEY DID THIS TO THEMSELVES NOT REALIZING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE MANY BAD DECISIONS THEY MADE. NOW THEY HAVE FEW DECISIONS LEFT BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE IS GOING ELSEWHERE. HAVE STANFORD, CAL, OREGON STATE, WASHINGTON STATE. PAC-12 IS NOW PACKED FOR. MAYBE CAL AND STANFORD GET INVITED TO THE BIG TEN. IT'S GOOD FOR RECRUITING. THAT'S PROBABLY BEST CASE SCENARIO, GO TO THE BIG TEN. ANOTHER IDEA WOULD BE YOU DROP DOWN A LEVEL, YOU GO MOUNTAIN WEST, YOU JOIN THE LIKES OF FRESNO STATE, SAN JOSE STATE. THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS REDUCED TB DOLLARS MEANS REDUCED MONEY FOR ALL SPORTS IN YOUR SCHOOL. >> THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY QUESTION, WHAT IS THE IMPACT FOR ATHLETES? HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE KIDS THAT WILL USUALLY CHOOSE SCHOOLS BASED ON THE PHONIC PROGRAM. COMPETITION, EXPOSURE, ALL OF THAT. IT WILL BE TOUGH FOR THEM. >> IT WILL BE CHALLENGING FOR CAL AND STANFORD TO RECRUIT SOME ATHLETES BECAUSE -- WHATEVER YOU DO, YOU WANT TO APPEAR ON THE BIGGEST STAGE. YOU DON'T WANT TO GO TO A LESSER CONFERENCE. THE ONE THING THEY HAVE GOING FOR THEM IS THEY ARE INCREDIBLE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS. THAT WILL DRAW SOME PEOPLE, BUT IT WILL NOT PAY FOR WATER POLO, ALL OF THE OTHER OLYMPIC SPORTS, TRACK AND FIELD. >> BECAUSE THE MONEY COMES FROM WHERE? >> ALMOST ALL OF THE MONEY IN SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE ATHLETICS PROGRAMS COLUMNS FROM BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL. THEY NEEDED TO HIT $30 MILLION PER YEAR PER TEAM AND THE PAC-12 IN THESE NEGOTIATIONS. THEY COULD NOT COME CLOSE. THE BIG TEN, THOSE SCHOOLS GET $50 MILLION OR $60 MILLION AND GOING UP. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF? A LEAGUE THAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT AS A LESSER VERSION OF A REAL STRONG GROUP? >> WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH FANS? >> IT'S NOT LIKE CAL AND STANFORD ARE DRAWING THAT MANY PEOPLE TO THEIR FOOTBALL GAMES AND THAT IS ON THEM AS WELL WHICH IS ANOTHER WHOLE CONVERSATION BECAUSE THEY DON'T CARE. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DON'T CARE? >> THEY PRETEND TO WANT TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL, THEY PRETEND, THEY ARE NOT REAL, THEY DON'T SPEND THE MONEY, THEY REFUSED TO SPEND THE MONEY, THEY DON'T PROMOTE THEIR SPORTS, THEY DON'T TRY TO GET PEOPLE IN THE STANDS. THEY ARE UNDERSTAFFED. MAYBE YOU'VE TOUCHED A NERVE. I OBVIOUSLY DID. LET'S BE REAL, THEY DON'T CARE THAT MUCH. THAT'S FINE. THEY ARE GREAT ACADEMIC INSTITUTION. THEY WANT TO PRODUCE DOCTORS INTO LAWYERS AND PHYSICISTS AND REALLY SMART PEOPLE. SPORTS IS NOT THE FOCUS. THAT'S FINE, MAYBE THEY BELONG ELSEWHERE. IT'S A SHAME. HOW DO YOU MESS THIS UP SO BADLY? >> LET'S LISTEN TO A SOUNDBITE FROM THE CAL STATE COACH I BELIEVE. >> SOMETHING THAT MATTERS BUT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. THOSE ARE OUR TWO CRITERIA. WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE DO WE HAVE CONTROL? WHERE THEY OVERLAP, THAT'S WERE REFOCUSED. I'M NOT DENYING THE SIGNIFICANCE, IT IS SIGNIFICANT IN A MAJOR WAY HOWEVER, WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THAT. OUR JOB IS TO COME OUT HERE, BECOME THE BEST FOOTBALL TEAM WE CAN POSSIBLY BE SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE SPENDING TIME ON. >> ONE THING WE SHOULD POINT OUT, EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE THIS SEASON. THIS STARTS 2024. IMAGINE BEING JUSTIN WILCOX. HOW DO YOU RECRUIT? WHAT LEAGUE ARE WE PLAYING IN? I DON'T KNOW. WHAT TEAM ARE WE PLAYING? I DON'T KNOW. WHAT KIND OF NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS MONEY CAN YOU GIVE ME? I DON'T KNOW. THE SCHOOLS HAVE SAID WE ARE EXPLORING BLAH BLAH BLAH. WHERE EXPLORATION IS WHY YOU ARE HERE NOW BECAUSE YOU ARE INACTIVE AND YOU GOT CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN AND WITH TWO GUYS RUNNING OR CONFERENCE THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN RUNNING OR CONFERENCE. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS BAD HIRES, GREED, BAD TIMING, BAD DECISION-MAKING. >> IT'S A QUARTET OF DISASTROUS MOVES THAT UNFORTUNATELY WILL IMPACT THE ATHLETES. I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL. I CAN'T BELIEVE THESE GUYS HAVE MESSED THIS UP SO BADLY. I WISH THIS GUY WAS RUNNING THE CONFERENCE BECAUSE THE PAC-12 WOULD BE ALIVE. I'M GETTING SO WORKED UP BECAUSE -- DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE SPENT WITH STANFORD AND CAL FOR 20 YEARS BUT THESE GUYS. COME ON. MAYBE IF OR COWER BETTER IN FOOTBALL, UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE DOWN RIGHT NOW SO IT'S EASIER FOR OTHER LEAKS TO DISCARD THEM. MAYBE THEY GET ADDED TO THE BIG TEN OR ANOTHER CONFERENCE, BUT RIGHT NOW IT IS A MESS. THEY DID IT TO THEMSELVES AND MONEY RULES COLLEGE ATHLETICS. IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS. IT READ OF THE STUDENT AND STUDENT ATHLETES, THEY ARE PRO PLAYERS AND THAT'S IT. I APOLOGIZE. >> I HOPE YOUR FINGER IS OK FROM ALL OF THIS. THAT'S WHY WE BRING YOU ON TO GIVE YOU -- TO GIVE US YOUR HEATED COMMENTARY. >> PEOPLE LOVE TO SEE A MANIAC RAGE ON THE STREETS. >> IT WAS VERY GOOD AND YOU BROKE DOWN AND TOLD US WHY WE SHOULD CARE AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. >> SORRY. UNTIL THE NEX
"Let's hear from the Cal State coach"
Even our own local broadcasters don't know what the fuck Cal is... The feigned concern only highlights how fucked we are going forward. I'm starting to resign myself to the idea that Cal football dies with a whimper.
Ok this was great. You can tell he really knows his stuff and is passionate about college football as a whole. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he's on this subreddit sometimes.
This is the most real explanation about what happened and it was on live TV. LOL.
What will happen to Cal and Stanford?
"They don't care. They are just pretending to be a football team anyway." Wow.
"We have a sound bite here from The Cal State Head Coach."
Interview clip of Justin Wilcox
Man, you can tell that guy loves those teams. I know how that felt the summer OUT announced their move, the BIG XII was just lucky they announced early and we had time to build (by poaching ourselves) in order to survive as a conference. Man it hurts to see him so hurt.
That image of him in the background could frighten any child.
This guy is probably on Reddit lol
That was an incredible breakdown for everyday people to understand
Fire Cowherd for the Dwayne Haskins fiasco and give me Larry Beil for 3 hours a day.