Jon Wilner provides background on Pac-12 expansion talks, previous attempts

As the Pac-12 deals with decreased revenue, the question is coming up about potential expansion. It’s not the first time the league has had expansion rumors came up, though.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News joined The Paul Finebaum Show this week to talk about past attempts by the Pac-12 and former commissioner Larry Scott to expand. He shared an interesting story involving Texas and Oklahoma — who, of course, are planning to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in the coming years.

The Longhorns were a target in 2010 before the Pac-12 moved on to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but presidents had one major concern: academics.

“The university presidents basically said, ‘Nah, we’re not interested,’ and a bunch of academic admissions bar, ‘they’re not worthy,’ kind of stuff that didn’t exist when they were thinking about getting Texas’ money,” Wilner said. “But, all of a sudden, the academics mattered a little bit more when it was just Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Once they passed on that, I think the ship basically sailed for them to add either Texas or Oklahoma.

“Now, they’re stuck. I don’t think there are any schools west of Norman that can really add the TV value and also the competitive value that would make it worthwhile for the current 12 members to agree to expand.”

Jon Wilner: Previous expansion talks were ‘bold play by Larry Scott’

Wilner talked about why Scott would consider such a huge move considering how far Texas and Oklahoma are from the rest of the league. He said Scott’s background might have been a factor. Scott was previously the CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association and wasn’t involved with college athletics before becoming Pac-12 commissioner in 2009.

He brought a new perspective — meaning he was willing to try different things.

“It was a bold play by Larry Scott, who was just finishing up his first year as commissioner,” Wilner said. “I think the fact that he was new to college sports kind of is the reason that that thing happened; because he wasn’t looking through the traditional lens of the conferences that have existed and not rattling the saber and creating this upheaval. You had a fresh set of eyes on it and he was willing to try anything.

“It certainly would’ve changed — I mean, the Big 12 would be no more. I don’t know what would’ve happened to Kansas and Iowa State and those schools. It certainly would’ve made the Pac-12 the Pac-16, an entirely different entity, for these last 10 [or] 12 years.”