Pac-12? Nope. Big 12? Let’s hope. Exploring Fresno State’s good fortune in expansion talks | Opinion

Fresno State to the Big 12? As a lifelong Californian and geography enthusiast, the very notion befuddles my traditionalist brain.

In a world that made any logical sense, the Bulldogs would be competing against fellow California universities and those from neighboring states. Not schools from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and as far away as West Virginia.

Sadly, those antiquated notions no longer have a place in the landscape of big-time college sports. When USC and UCLA can ditch the Pac-12 and hook up with a conference rooted half a continent away, all bets are off.

Tradition means nothing. Old rivalries mean nothing. Proximity for student-athletes and fans means nothing. All that matters these days are media rights deals, which are largely based on the number of television sets in each market.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Fresno State should sit out the Power 5 conference expansion merry-go-round. President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval and athletic director Terry Tumey are obligated to put Bulldogs sports in the best possible position. Which involves chasing the almighty dollar into every potential rabbit hole.

Opinion

I’ve already made my pitch that Fresno State belongs in the Pac-12, which will be down to 10 schools once USC and UCLA depart for the Big Ten. However, the Pac-12 presidents don’t see it that way. They’ve continued to stiff arm the Bulldogs while courting San Diego State and Southern Methodist, a wealthy, private university that barely makes a blip in the hefty Dallas-Fort Worth market.

At the same time, substantive conversations have taken place between Jiménez-Sandoval and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, according to The Bee’s Robert Kuwada and other well-informed reporters. Yormark is on record as saying the Big 12 (which is losing Texas and Oklahoma and adding Houston, BYU, Cincinnati and Central Florida) wants to expand into the Pacific Time Zone.

Before any possible pair up between Fresno State and the Big 12 can take place, several dominoes must be turned over. The largest and most significant is the Pac-12’s impending media rights deal, which remains unsettled and is the subject of intense rumor and speculation.

There are too many permutations and combinations for me to explore them all. But the bottom line is this: Until the Pac-12 secures a television contract (be it broadcast, streaming or some combination) that pays its member institutions equal or greater than what Big 12 schools are getting, all bets are off.

The Pac-12 could emerge from this tumultuous period intact — or the so-called “Conference of Champions” could face a rocky future. Right now, no one knows for certain.

Since the Pac-12 (in its current form) has little interest in Fresno State, the Bulldogs are better off if that conference stays together instead of having more of its members poached.

Because, let’s face it, the Big 12 would much prefer to add the likes of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State than any current Mountain West school if the Pac-12 somehow splinters or implodes.

Fresno State’s good fortune

Honestly, Fresno State is fortunate to even be in this position. The Bulldogs’ attractiveness to the Big 12 is almost solely due to the football team’s recent success (both on the field and at the ticket window) and their preeminence in a decent-sized TV market.

At a time when college football attendance is shrinking nationwide, Fresno State stands out as a notable exception. Coach Jeff Tedford’s MW champions drew an average of 39,067 fans in 2022, which represents a 28% uptick from five years ago.

Otherwise, the Bulldogs have very little to brag about. The men’s basketball team is currently 10-18 overall and will finish below .500 in conference play for the fifth straight season under coach Justin Hutson. Remember when women’s basketball made seven straight trips to the NCAA Tournament? Those days are gone. Fresno State is well on its way to a second consecutive losing record under coach Jaime White.

Meanwhile, the once-proud baseball program is coming off back-to-back losing campaigns that resulted in coach Mike Batesole’s abrupt departure. And the softball team is trying to rebound from its only sub.-500 record since the program’s inception in 1978.

Wrestling’s much-ballyhooed return was a short-lived disaster, and women’s volleyball hasn’t reached the NCAAs since 2002. (Hey, at least water polo, swimming and diving and equestrian are in capable hands.)

At the same time, Fresno State hasn’t made much progress upgrading key facilities. The football stadium is antiquated and inaccessible to anyone lacking two sturdy knees — and now mired in an unfavorable naming rights deal with Valley Children’s Hospital. Furthermore, the athletic department remains a tenant in its own basketball arena, cut off from key revenue streams.

Certainly, the picture would get a lot rosier if the Big 12 comes calling. What a lucky lifeline that would be. History, geography and traditional rivalries be damned.