Arizona State President Denies Having Any Big 12 Discussions on Moving
Amid all the uncertainty in the Pac-12 and a number of its institutions linked to the Big 12, Arizona State University President Michael Crow indicated a new deal for the Pac-12’s media rights could be right around the corner.
In a Tuesday interview with The State Press, Crow emphasized his university’s intent to play in the Pac-12 in light of ongoing negotiations he indicated are headed in a positive direction.
“We’re close to knowing where we’re going to be, and I think we’re close to a deal,” Crow told The State Press. “I think that the Pac-12 media rights became more complicated with the departure of USC and UCLA. The media rights became more complicated also, as things always do because markets go like this. They’re up and down, up and down. But, we have fabulous sports teams and the remaining teams, we’re going to get a good offer. We’re in the final stages of that process.”
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, of course, reported last week that the Big 12 renewed contact with the so-called four corner schools of Crow’s Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado and Utah and that that quartet of schools’ interest in exiting eastward has “picked up in recent weeks.” But Crow turned back those suggestions in the interview.
“There have been no discussions with the Big 12 conference on moving,” Crow said. “I mean, there’s been discussions between everyone everywhere on all things related to where our conference is going and where stuff’s going to end up and what’s happening. We are committed to the Pac-12.”
Still, nothing is set in stone until, well, it’s set in stone. So we’ll see where this heads from here.
