How the Big 12 commission race fell apart

I can’t tell if this break in conference realignment action is real or just a byproduct of everyone being on vacation.

After the Big 12 commissioner search, it was interesting to hear some of the stories of how university presidents reached out to Brett Yormark, the eventual pick, and Tim Pernetti, the very close runner-up. And the part Charlie Hussey’s withdrawal played in the result.

Pernetti and Jormark went head-to-head in recent personal interviews. Pernetti, an IMG executive and former Rutgers AD (as well as a 2008 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree), brought a mix of traditional and non-traditional experience. The question was whether the presidents making the decision would view him as more of an advertising executive or a veteran of the sport with 25 years in various roles. And when the presidents went back to their feedback ads, would they support Pernetti? All signs indicated that they were.

Yormark, an SBJ Forty Under 40 Hall of Famer who was recruited by TurnkeyZRG, had no college experience, but he rose to the top of the inductee list through his accomplishments, infectious energy and deep set of media contacts and the government. Finalists were asked to present at least one “big idea” at the in-person interview. When Jormark showed up with 10, the presidents were moved by his enthusiasm and vision.

What the presidents didn’t expect was for Hussey, a 2016 Forty Under 40 honoree, to step down after entering serious competition. The SEC’s deputy commissioner was a factor as the search neared its end, sources say, but it was also a little awkward. If Hussey had gotten the Big 12 job, he would have been in charge of negotiating for Oklahoma and Texas to leave so they could move to the SEC. Negotiating with them after they were just agreed to would be difficult, especially since the Big 12 presidents would expect Hussey to milk the Sooners and Longhorns for as much exit fee money as possible.

What does the result tell us?

1. Hussey will be a conference commissioner one day in the not too distant future.
2. There is an AD chair with Pernetti’s name on it.
3. Yormark proved that passion and enthusiasm still matter a lot when making a first impression.

UCLA and USC worked with the Los Angeles law firm of O’Melveny & Myers to facilitate their move to the Big Ten. Steve Olson, a partner at O’Melveny for 18 years and previously a federal prosecutor, took over.

Olson described the firm’s work as “finding problems.” He added: “Above all, it’s thinking about all the stakeholders who would be affected by a move like this, think about how they might react and be prepared to deal with those things.”

The firm’s main point of contact in the Big Ten was general counsel Anil Golahalli, who just joined the conference in March. Gollahalli previously served as vice president and general counsel at the Univ. from Oklahoma, so he’s worked through two once-in-a-lifetime conference realignments within a year.

Olson was bound by confidentiality, but he offered two interesting aspects of the process.

1. USC and UCLA will enter the Big Ten in 2025, receiving a full share of the conference’s revenue share. That’s a much better deal for the new members than what Rutgers and Maryland got. Olson: “It was critical for UCLA and USC to come in as full members from Day 1.”
2. The Big Ten was the only conference USC and UCLA contacted about membership.

Next on UCLA’s radar: A meeting next week of the University of California Board of Regents, which is set to discuss the Bruins’ move and what the potential financial implications could be for another public school, Cal.

Former ACC commissioner John Swofford sits on the sidelines, enjoying retirement, but one of his most important accomplishments — granting media rights — is still instrumental in keeping the conference afloat. Without a rights grant, which requires each school to transfer its media rights to the conference in 2035-36 when the ESPN deal expires, the ACC could be on the brink of dissolution.

A decade ago, the ACC found itself in similar predicaments, facing instability amid constant rumors of a realignment — just as it has in the past few weeks. Maryland shocked the conference in 2012 by leaving for the Big Ten. Speculation swirled about the potential for more defections because then, as now, the Big Ten and SEC could guarantee more revenue to the likes of Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina, the ACC’s blue-chip brands.

Swofford spent that fall of 2012 and much of 2013 using every ounce of his persuasive powers to persuade conference members to make a huge commitment — granting their rights to the ACC. When league members unanimously agreed, it effectively ended this round of conference realignment.

That round, sparked by Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC and USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, may have reached a lull. The SEC appears to be satisfied with 16 members, based on news reports yesterday. The two most valuable brands in the Big 12 and Pac-12 have been poached. That’s not to say the Big 12 and Pac-12 can’t combine forces, but it’s unclear how that would make sense. More TV revenue, yes, but a lot more mouths to feed.

Meanwhile, the ACC, protected by the grant of rights, remains intact. Swofford made sure of that a decade ago when he convinced league members that the ACC was worth fighting for.

Just 12 second-quarter telecasts cracked the list of the 50 best broadcasts of 2022, with three of those coming from the college sports ranks. Through June, here are the college sports telecasts ranked in the top 50:

• No. 17: CFP Championship: Georgia-Alabama: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU: 22.6 million viewers

• No. 25: NCAA Men’s Basketball Semifinal: North Carolina-Duke: TBS/TNT/truTV: 18.5 million viewers

• No. 26: NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Kansas-North Carolina: TBS/TNT/truTV: 18.1 million viewers

• No. 28: Rose Bowl: Ohio State-Utah: ESPN/ESPN2: 16.6 million viewers

• No. 38: NCAA Men’s Basketball Elite Eight: North Carolina-St. Peters: CBS: 13.6 million viewers

• No. 43: NCAA Men’s Basketball Semifinal: Kansas-Villanova: TBS/TNT/truTV: 12.2 million viewers

• San Diego-based JMI will expand its presence in Lexington, Kentucky, moving into a 20,000-square-foot space in the recently renovated Central Bank Center. The restructuring and office expansion for the 50-person company reflects the growth JMI has sustained since entering the college space. JMI now represents 21 properties.

• UCF and Playfly Sports have officially unveiled a 13-year multimedia rights agreement, and the total value of the deal — reportedly $125 million — will place UCF among upcoming Big 12 peers when the school joins the conference on July 1, 2023.

• Mississippi State teams up with Populous and LPK Architects to create The Balconies at Davis Wade Stadium. Located at either end of the upper deck on the west side, The Balconies will provide passengers with a ‘tailgate scene’. There will be 22 balconies – 11 at each end of the upper deck – and they will vary in size, meaning there is a discrepancy in the number of ticket holders allowed in a venue. There are a total of 10 terraces that can accommodate 15 people each. Of the remaining 12 seats, there are two each that allow 10, 12, 18, 20, 22 and 25 seats.

• NBC and the Bayou Classic have agreed to a three-year extension of media rights through 2024. The agreement, which begins with the 2022 game between Southern and Grambling State, extends a deal that began in 1991.