Fresno State athletics director Terry Tumey has had conversations with a high-ranking Pac-12 official and is seeking a meeting with conference Commissioner George Kliavkoff regarding the school’s expansion prospects, an athletics department official confirmed to The Bee.
The Bulldogs are one of several Mountain West Conference schools hoping to make pitches to the Pac-12, which was rocked last week when UCLA and USC announced they would be joining the Big Ten in 2024.
The timing could not be much worse for the Pac-12, which is preparing to negotiate its next media rights deal now without two conference pillars and the second largest media market in the country.
The remaining membership could splinter as a result, as the latest round of conference expansion evolves. Several Pac-12 schools could be in play — including Oregon, Washington and Stanford — with the Big Ten or ACC.
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah reportedly could be pursued by the Big 12.
But the Pac-12, even if its 10 schools (minus USC and UCLA) remain intact, could be facing a severe hit in media-rights revenue in its next deal that would start in 2024, and in its national standing, without a strong response in rebuilding its brand.
Its membership received $33.6 million in 2020 and $19.8 million post-COVID-19 in 2021. That is well below distributions that schools in the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten receive, but critical bankable income for athletic departments that reported between $391.8 million (Oregon) and $72.4 million (Oregon State) in revenue.
Tumey on Monday declined to confirm his conversations with Pac-12 officials, but the source said Fresno State is intent on being part of the equation if the conference ends up adding to its membership.
The Bulldogs are not a good fit for the Pac-12 academically, or with their aged athletic facilities. But the university’s prospects could get a boost from a Fresno County tax proposal that could add as much as $36 million annually to academic programs and infrastructure projects, including Bulldog Stadium.
Fresno State also is in the heart of the Pac-12 footprint, and in combining Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto with Fresno-Visalia and Bakersfield, the San Joaquin Valley represents the 11th largest media market in the nation.
Fresno-Visalia alone is ranked 55th, Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto 20th and Bakersfield 125th.
This story was originally published July 04, 2022 6:44 PM.