Big 12 Warned About Pac-12 Agenda After Major CBS Announcement on Monday

The Pac-12 may have been left for dead, but somebody forgot to tell the league office. While most college football fans were writing its eulogy, the once-proud West Coast power conference has been quietly stirring. Its flagship brands may have bolted, and its national prestige has been shredded. The developments on June 23 suggest that the Pac-12 still has a pulse—and maybe, just maybe, a blueprint. For a league that’s been more meme than menace the last 24 months, there’s suddenly reason for the Big 12 to peek over its shoulder.

On the Cover 3 Podcast, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli kicked the hornet’s nest with a blunt question: “Is it not time to ask the question of whether the Pac-12 is better than the Big 12?” He pointed out the irony that both leagues, after losing cornerstone programs, rebuilt by poaching from similar talent pools. Mostly Group of Five and Mountain West leftovers. “They’re the same leagues,” Fornelli said. “The Pac-12 and the Big 12 are fighting for that fourth league supremacy.” But Chip Patterson doubled down, noting that six of the seven remaining Pac-12 programs have been ranked in the AP Top 25 in recent years. “Even FPI, which famously dislikes Group of Five programs. Even with that… the future Pac-12 had the fifth-highest average FPI among all conferences,” Patterson added.

It wasn’t just football that gave Chip ammunition. He leaned into men’s hoops metrics, pointing out that the Pac-12 had the fourth-best average net ranking among all conferences and that seven of its eight members had made the NCAA Tournament since 2021. “If you’re going to call it the Power Five, we’re fifth,” he said, acknowledging his “company man” status while defending the Pac-12’s new structure. When Tom asked, “Who do you got, Boise State or Cincinnati?” the answer came fast: “Boise State.” And just like that, the Pac-12’s rebranding wasn’t just a media spin—it became a debate with teeth.

That brings us to Monday’s announcement. The Pac-12 has reached a multi-year broadcast agreement with CBS, CBS Sports Network, and Paramount+ through the 2030–31 season. In a move originally conceived for just the 2025–26 season, CBS extended the commitment by five more years, giving the beleaguered conference a national media lifeline.

As part of the deal, CBS will air the football and men’s basketball championship games annually, plus at least three regular-season games per sport on its flagship network. The rest will shift to CBS Sports Network and streaming on Paramount+. It’s a bold and necessary move—but critics will say, two years too late to save the Pac’s prime brands.

The timing doesn’t seem to bother the Pac-12’s current leadership. The league, now pivoting to a leaner identity, is betting that consistency in visibility—especially across CBS platforms—can keep the flame alive. They’re still one football program short of full FBS recognition, with talks reportedly ongoing to bring in Texas State from the Sun Belt. But there’s momentum, and with the media rights box finally checked, there’s at least a scaffolding for the future.

So yes, if you’ve been longing for the #Pac12AfterDark chaos, it’s coming back—but with a CBS polish. You’ll need a Paramount+ subscription and some patience, but late-night Mountain West remixes are officially on the menu.

Pac-12 CBS deal, big-time adds fuel to conference revival hopes

The Pac-12 isn’t dead—it’s just rebooting. In a move that feels equal parts desperation and vision, the conference officially turned to CBS in what looks like a last-gasp effort to hang on to national relevancy. But here’s the twist: they may have just enough juice to pull it off.

Late in 2024, the Pac-12 made a power play, scooping up six programs to hit the NCAA-required eight-member minimum. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State bring familiar Mountain West firepower to the football slate. While Gonzaga jumps in for basketball. The new lineup will hit the field and hardwood in 2026.

The headliner? Boise State, fresh off a CFP appearance. And of course, Gonzaga’s hoops program is basically an annual fixture in March Madness. That’s not just filler—it’s actual, watchable, competitive talent. As Fresno State AD Garrett Klassy posted on X, “Just the start. A transformational partnership for a transformed Pac-12. Proud to be part of building something new—with reach, purpose, and power.”

Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould echoed the rebranding mission. “We were really looking for a transformational partner,” she told Yogi Roth. “A partner that as we launch into this new landscape of college athletics, this new model, this new framework that we’re all living under – that we had a partner that would really support us and collaborate with us to build and launch this new league and really brainstorm about how we build something really special and different for the modern-day student athlete.” It’s bold. It’s risky. And just maybe—it’s the comeback arc the Pac-12 needed.