Not solely has Chuck Neinas seen every thing in school sports activities 5 instances over, he’s partly accountable.
As the manager director of the School Soccer Affiliation (CFA) within the Eighties, Neinas helped push Georgia and Oklahoma to sue the NCAA over its monopoly on tv contracts.
The following victory, courtesy of the groundbreaking 1984 Supreme Court docket choice, gave conferences the correct to barter their very own media offers — the exact same media offers which have fueled subsequent realignment choices.
For perception into the Pac-12’s state of disruption, the Hotline reached out to one of many authentic disruptors.
In spite of everything, Neinas additionally served because the Massive 12’s interim commissioner in 2011-12 throughout the tumultuous stretch during which Nebraska, Colorado and Texas A&M left the convention.
Particularly, we requested if any classes from his expertise could be relevant to the Pac-12 within the aftermath of USC and UCLA bolting for the Massive Ten.
“You need to develop what you might have,” mentioned Neinas, who's retired and dwelling in Colorado.
Then he jumped forward by a decade and centered on final summer season, when Texas and Oklahoma introduced their strikes to the SEC.
“The factor that impressed me concerning the Massive 12 was that it took an enormous blow,” he mentioned. “All the things was going flawed. However they obtained the 4 greatest remaining groups (BYU, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati) to show it right into a optimistic.
“Now, my mates inform me there’s extra pleasure (concerning the future) than they've seen in years, for 2 causes: Oklahoma gained a lot, and Texas won't be missed within the assembly room.”
As a result of it was plundered 12 months later — and due to the relative paucity of FBS packages within the western third of the nation — the Pac-12 doesn’t possess as many high quality growth choices because the Massive 12 had final summer season.
“I’d prefer to see them get San Diego State,” Neinas mentioned. “That offers them a footprint in Southern California.”
Throughout his stint as interim commissioner of the Massive 12, Neinas headed the growth effort that secured TCU and West Virginia. He additionally labored with former SEC commissioner Mike Slive to companion on a postseason bowl matchup — a transfer that turned the present Sugar Bowl association.
When the subject turned to the school soccer panorama and doable motion of Pac-12 faculties into the Massive 12, Neinas provided a contrarian view.
“The quantity of media income they are going to obtain could be very comparable, so why go away? Why would it not be engaging for the Pac-12 faculties to go to the Massive 12? Each will keep as they're,” mentioned Neinas, who additionally ran the Massive Eight convention within the Nineteen Seventies.
“If one thing occurs to Oregon or Washington, that would change the image.”
The best menace to the Pac-12’s future isn’t the Massive 12 however the Massive Ten, which might add a handful of West Coast faculties to create journey companions for USC and UCLA.
Washington, Oregon, Stanford and Cal all meet the Massive Ten’s tutorial bar, provide broad-based athletic packages and convey both giant media markets or nationwide followings.
However there is no such thing as a indication one other raid is weeks or months away — it might be years earlier than the Massive Ten makes one other transfer.
In the meantime, the Pac-12 is in the midst of negotiating a brand new media rights contract. Someday this fall, the faculties shall be requested to enroll — or skedaddle.
“Oregon and Washington have to attend to be invited (to the Massive Ten),” Neinas mentioned, “and I don’t assume that can occur.”
As an alternative, he sees the Massive Ten eyeing different areas.
“The Massive Ten shouldn't be increasing west,’’ he mentioned. “It can attempt to improve its footprint extra to the south.
“They've established a stake on the West Coast, they usually have made no secret of the very fact they need to go to twenty (groups). I feel they are going to look extra south and east.”
The ACC’s grant-of-rights-agreement complicates any tried raid by the Massive Ten or SEC, except sufficient faculties favor dissolution of the deal.
“(Former Massive Ten commissioner Jim Delany) was serious about North Carolina,” Neinas mentioned. “He additionally talked about Georgia Tech.”
What about Notre Dame as a Massive Ten member?
“If Notre Dame will get what it needs from TV (contracts),” Neinas mentioned, “it would stay Impartial.”
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