Paul Finebaum says Pac-12 is 'done' after choosing Apple for possible TV deal

The Pac-12 was hoping that their eventual television deal would be enough to get them off of the carousel that is conference realignment. However, with it reportedly being a contract with Apple, Paul Finebaum believes that it could actually be the final nail in their coffin.

Finebaum openly mocked the Pac-12’s potential TV deal with Apple on First Take. With schools like Colorado already out, Arizona leaning out the door, and potentially more leaving soon, he found the reported streaming package as an extremely crude bandage for their wound considering he doesn’t believe anyone is going to subscribe to it.

“I don’t know if they’ll be around. You’re talking about a league that is floating away and you can’t stop it,” said Finebaum. “The University of Arizona is having a board meeting later on. What have they heard that would encourage them to want to stay?”

“The commissioner, the other day, presented a television plan. And no disrespect to Apple. Hey, we’ve all got iPhones, okay? But if Apple streaming is your best option? While the Big Ten has three networks — FOX, CBS and NBC — and the SEC is about to be married exclusively to ESPN? And Apple is your best option?,” questioned Finebaum. “And, not only that, it’s not like Apple is coming in and saying, ‘We’re offering you hundreds of millions of dollars’. They’re saying, ‘Depending on how many people sign up’. How many choices do you have to sign up for streaming services? Who in their right mind would sign up to watch Washington State and Oregon State on a Saturday night? Nobody.”

The Pac-12 has been looking for solutions for their media deal for some time now. It was seemingly one of the last hopes for the league to pull things back together and justify their continuation as a Power Five league.

Now, with what they expect to have on the table with Apple, Finebaum doesn’t think that the Pac-12 will be much of anything for much longer.

“Oregon and Washington are desperate to get out. We may see as many as three more go, in addition to Colorado, if Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah go. Remember, UCLA and USC are already gone after this year,” Finebaum said. “Somebody just turn the lights out. This league is done.”

Finebaum advises Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to ‘jump, run … get away from the Pac-12’

It’s time for Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah to jump ship from the Pac-12 and get to the Big 12, or somewhere at this point, according to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.

After the Pac-12 presented a potential streaming deal with Apple, there isn’t too much confidence around the league to make this new media work and work well. Following a Board of Regents meeting in Arizona, there’s speculation the Arizona schools could leave very soon, following Colorado’s move to the Big 12.

Overall, Finebaum blasted the Pac-12 and encouraged the three previously mentioned schools to get out.

“Jump, run, do anything they can to get away from the Pac-12,” Finebaum said Wednesday on Get Up. “I mean, I was listening to Pete (Thamel). And you’re going to go to a college president when he has a good deal over here. And you say, ‘Hey, listen, doctor, president of Arizona, Arizona State, Utah. Be patient. If we can get enough people to sign up on Apple that we are going to be great.’”

“Well the bottom line is this guys – Nobody’s signing up on Apple to watch the Pac-12. Because there’s nothing to watch once you lose Colorado, UCLA and USC. I mean, I don’t want to be the guy that keeps burying this lede because I think I did it the other day. But I’m gonna keep doing it. Somebody needs to shovel dirt on this league and end this charade. It’s over for the Pac-12. And if these three don’t get out of there? They’re going down with the ship.”