USC is no longer a part of the Pac-12, but it is fascinating to wonder what college sports will look like in 10 years. Would USC ever return to the Pac-12 at some distant point in the future? Pac-12 news is still an item of interest in the college sports world, so it was noteworthy when news broke on Monday morning that the Pac-12 and CBS have agreed to a football and basketball media rights package which goes through 2031. John Canzano had the story first at his Substack:
“The Pac-12 has finalized a deal that positions CBS as the new-look conference’s cornerstone TV partner for five years beginning in 2026. CBS and Paramount+ will air the Pac-12 championship football and basketball games in the 2026-2031 seasons. A minimum of three football and basketball games each season will also appear on those two platforms.
“Additionally, the new Pac-12 will have ‘a consistent regular season presence’ on CBS Sports Network in both football and men’s basketball, per a source.”
Boise State in football and Gonzaga in basketball will be part of the new-look Pac-12 when this CBS deal begins. Schools were counting on a certain level of exposure. Getting an over-the-air network as the lead broadcaster seems to be a small but real step in the right direction for the Pac-12. It remains to be seen how good the product is in this reconstructed conference, which will be — at least in the realm of perception — a glorified Mountain West. The Pac-12’s ability to transcend that perception will be the central challenge facing the league on the football field and the basketball court.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Pac-12 agrees to football and basketball TV, streaming deal with CBS, Paramount Plus
Reporting by Matt Zemek / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
