Here's a wild idea: what if USC left the Pac-12?

It won’t happen before the TV contract runs out, but it’s an interesting look into problems ongoing in the Pac-12

4. Could USC make more money this way? That’s the big question
USC is a huge program in an enormous TV market. Could it start its own TV channel, like Texas did? Given how that deal has gone for ESPN with a school that isn’t competing against tons of pro sports teams in its own city, that seems unlikely.

Could it try to sell its TV rights to a conventional TV channel? Sure, but the companies that shell out fat TV contracts are tightening their belts. Could USC sell rights to a new entrant in the rights race, like Facebook, Amazon, or Netflix? Maybe, but that’d be a risk, exposure-wise.

The Pac-12 is betting that its current setup has it better positioned for the brave new world. Maybe it’s right! If so, leaving would be dumb.

I think it’s almost impossible to answer this with any certainty. If the sports streaming industry matures, and everybody gets a better idea about audience and market rates, then it’s a different story.

I don’t know, the huge tv market was part of the argument for getting the NFL back in LA. However we can see the results currently with the empty seats. I know it isn’t apples to apples.

However if huge tv market was that big of a deal, we’d be in a whole different shape.