I’ve received a lot of text messages over the last 24 hours as Pac-12 and Mountain West conference realignment has gone crazy.
Perhaps the most asked question I’ve gotten during that period is this— Why is Utah State more valuable than Nevada?
It’s a good question now that Utah State has been invited and accepted a spot in the rebuilt Pac-12 while Nevada remains on shaky ground in a withering MW. If you travel back a decade, Nevada was invited from the WAC to the Mountain West a year ago before Utah State when the Wolf Pack was a clearly superior option at the time. So, what has changed since then?
Therésumés of the two schools since both were in the MW aren’t too dissimilar. Here’s a brief overview of their accomplishments since then:
Total MW championships: Utah State 16, Nevada 10
MW basketball titles: Utah State 4, Nevada 4
NCAA Tournament berths/wins: Utah State 5/1, Nevada 5/2
Football bowl games: Utah State 9, Nevada 6
Football championship game berths/wins: Utah State 2/1, Nevada 0/0
Most recent budget (fiscal year 2023): Utah State $45,575,192, Nevada $49,524,849
City population: Logan 54,680, Reno 273,448
There’s no question Utah State has been better in football than Nevada during their MW eras (I’d given the Aggies the edge in facilities, too), but the rest of the metrics are pretty close with the schools being middle or lower MW departments over the last decade. So, why was Utah State, while not a top option for the Pac-12, an option nonetheless, leapfrogging Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming? Eyeballs.
The Pac-12’s attempt at a skinny rebuild with potentially only eight football schools is meant to cut the fat off the bottom of the MW to try and get the highest per-school media-rights deal possible. That’s why Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State were part of the first wave and UNLV was not. Per a report from CBS’ Dennis Dodd, the first four MW schools to jump to the Pac-12 ranked in the top 86 of the television ratings since 2016 among college football teams (SDSU was the No. 86 program). Here are the rankings of the MW schools that didn’t make the first cut.
* Air Force: 81st
* Utah State: 83rd
* Wyoming: 84th
* Hawaii: 94th
* Nevada: 100th
* New Mexico: 102nd
* San Jose State: 103rd
* UNLV: 104th
That, apparently, is what makes Utah State more attractive than Nevada. Interestingly, the schools in the three biggest cities on the list above rank in the bottom three in TV viewership. While market size matters, it’s not the most important thing. Engagement within that market is preeminent, and that’s where Utah State separated itself despite sitting in the MW’s second-smallest city ahead of only Wyoming’s Laramie.
Furthermore, USA Today’s Dan Wolken reported Utah State was dubbed as attractive an addition as Memphis, an American Athletic Conference school that turned down an invitation from the Pac-12 on Monday partially because the conference only offered to cover $2.5 million of its potential $27.5 million exit fee. Memphis has a population of 621,056 with a superior budget, facilities, football history and donor base compared to Utah State.
Wolken writes: “Memphis, one consultant told USA TODAY Sports, is not valued by TV rights holders significantly more than, say, Utah State. And Oregon State and Washington State, the two original Pac-12 leftovers who decided to bring the conference back, aren’t valued much more than Memphis. In other words, the new Pac-12 was not going to be a power conference no matter which of the potential members jumped in. And the notion of a $12 million per member payday, which had been the carrot for a school like Memphis (currently making around $8-9 million in the AAC) was merely theoretical and based on calculations from the Pac-12’s paid consultants that few people across the college sports industry actually believed.”
The company making the Pac-12’s television calculations isNavigate, which dubs itself a “data-driven consulting firm, guiding major strategies & decisions in sports & entertainment.” Endeavor handled the Pac-12’s failed quest for a lucrative media-rights deal before losing 10 schools last year.Endeavor also is leading the MW’s current media-rights deal.Navigate’s Pac-12 estimates of at least $10 million per school seems a little pie in the sky. But to answer that texts I’ve been getting on why Utah State was more valued than Nevada (among other MW schools), it really comes down toNavigate’s spreadsheet.
Sports columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 22:59:00
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