The Pac-12 and Big Ten are the only major conferences that play a nine-game conference schedule. The ACC, SEC and Big 12 play eight. If the Pac-12 cannot reach a deal with ESPN and FOX, it may have to wait until 2024 when its media rights deal expires to change its conference schedule.
Currently, many Pac-12 schools have already filled their non-conference schedules years in advance, meaning it could take several years for the scheduling alliance to take its desired effect. Arizona, for instance, only has two open spots on its non-conference schedule through 2027—one in 2024 and another in 2026.
“It depends on whether or not we’re able to renegotiate our nine-conference-game schedule with ESPN and FOX,” Kliavkoff said. “If we’re able to re-negotiate that down to eight, and the Big Ten is able to do that as well, we can start playing these games next year. But there’s a lot of work to be done to get there.”
In other words, work is underway to get our schedule down to parity with other leagues but we are being held hostage by FOX and ESPN so go figgur. Naw FIGGURS
