Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott's Departure Betters the Conferences Future

I wonder what was the last straw for the Pac-12 CEOs to let go of Larry Scott.

Was it the third party that overruled a targeting call in the 2018 WSU-USC game after officials at the game and in the replay center agreed it was targeting? Or maybe it was the private jets and lavish suites that Scott stayed in on the road. How about the $7 million rent that Scott bills the conference in one of the most expensive downtown areas in the country (San Francisco).

Regardless, this day was due to come eventually, the conference just could not continue operating like a second-tier power five commissioner. The same commissioner who laid much of his Pac-12 Network staff while piling on bonuses to executives (including himself) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s time for a fresh start for the conference of champions. For whoever steps into the commissioner’s role, there’s going to be a lot to clean up.

The conference needs a better media rights deal. Scott’s handling of the Pac-12 Network and its distribution has handicapped the member programs. If the network isn’t reaching enough households, the conference members aren't making enough money. Seriously, how do you not get it on DirecTV?

The lack of revenue going back to schools rears its ugly head any time one of the conference’s football programs needs a new coach. These schools can’t pay more than schools in other conferences. 

Just look at last year when Mel Tucker was poached by Michigan State after one year at Colorado. It’s a shock that a program in the Big Ten or SEC hasn’t thrown Mario Cristobal more than double his current Oregon salary ($2.7 million, although a recent extension will boost it to $4.3 million).

The new leadership in the Pac-12 needs to take football seriously. Focus on the universities and not on becoming a “media company.” The conference has shown it has the potential to be great before, don’t let one lame-duck commissioner bury the reputation.

Some suggestions I’ve seen as replacements: Greg Byrne, Alabama AD (Arizona State alum, former asst AD at Oregon, Oregon State, and AD at Arizona), Gene Smith, Ohio State AD (former ASU AD), and current Arizona State AD Ray Anderson.

Let’s learn from the Larry Scott experience, the energy in the early years of your tenure (negotiating a $3 billion TV deal for the conference) isn’t enough. If you don’t adapt to this world, you will fail.

Writer

-By: TJ Mathewson