[Farm93]

It wasn’t that many years ago that the Pac 12 was just behind the SEC.  Now it’s by far the weakest of the Power 5.  7 Bowls. 3-4. 1-6 against the spread. And the 1 was because UW scored a late TD.  

What has happened?   Is it that their lousy TV contract and TV times has hurt recruiting on the West Coast?

Meehhh,

The market has moved from a mass market audience where everyone was forced to pay a few dollars a year and the content providers and content subscribers really were not able or motivated to segment the market. 

Today the market asks those that are most passionate to pay several dollars a month.  The content providers are able to offer content exclusively for the most passionate (Conference Networks) and those that don't want to pay anything can opt out (cutting the cord).

The SEC resides in the land where football is nearly a religion.    The Pac-12 resides in a land where there are a lot more cord cutters.  the Pac-12 administrators may or may not be best, but the demographic and commercial trends are definitely stacked against the Pac-12.  

The Pac-12 does have a meaningful climate advantage for recruits and the population in the West still is growing at a good clip.  So there should be enough talent to keep the programs relatively competitive. 

In the end,  location, location, location is the key.   The South has a better and deeper talent pool and a vastly more passionate group of citizens following the sport and the colleges and university football teams.   

Thinking about my neighborhood in SoCal.   I can easily drive a visitor to hundreds of semi-organized adult soccer games at local parks if they wanted to play soccer.   I can drive a visitor to a few dozen informal adult cricket leagues, if that is their thing.   I would be hard pressed to find even one community field with any form of adult touch, flag or full contact football.

I am very confident that wouldn't be the situation in SEC country.

Tennis anyone?

[Farm93]

It wasn’t that many years ago that the Pac 12 was just behind the SEC.  Now it’s by far the weakest of the Power 5.  7 Bowls. 3-4. 1-6 against the spread. And the 1 was because UW scored a late TD.  

What has happened?   Is it that their lousy TV contract and TV times has hurt recruiting on the West Coast?

Meehhh,

The market has moved from a mass market audience where everyone was forced to pay a few dollars a year and the content providers and content subscribers really were not able or motivated to segment the market. 

Today the market asks those that are most passionate to pay several dollars a month.  The content providers are able to offer content exclusively for the most passionate (Conference Networks) and those that don't want to pay anything can opt out (cutting the cord).

The SEC resides in the land where football is nearly a religion.    The Pac-12 resides in a land where there are a lot more cord cutters.  the Pac-12 administrators may or may not be best, but the demographic and commercial trends are definitely stacked against the Pac-12.  

The Pac-12 does have a meaningful climate advantage for recruits and the population in the West still is growing at a good clip.  So there should be enough talent to keep the programs relatively competitive. 

In the end,  location, location, location is the key.   The South has a better and deeper talent pool and a vastly more passionate group of citizens following the sport and the colleges and university football teams.   

Thinking about my neighborhood in SoCal.   I can easily drive a visitor to hundreds of semi-organized adult soccer games at local parks if they wanted to play soccer.   I can drive a visitor to a few dozen informal adult cricket leagues, if that is their thing.   I would be hard pressed to find even one community field with any form of adult touch, flag or full contact football.

I am very confident that wouldn't be the situation in SEC country.

Tennis anyone?