$800000 worth CUSA media rights deal for 5 years turns out to be a great lesson for Pac-12, which couldn't even keep its member teams intact

The Pac-12 has been dealing with a lot of issues trying to figure out its media rights deal. However, there is some hope as it is being reported that another conference has been able to sign a deal. Action Network's Brett McMurphy posted about Conference USA's newest media deal with ESPN and CBS Sports Network.

The deal is for five years and is worth $800,000 a year for each school. While it is nowhere near what the Pac-12 wanted to get, this is showing what the future could be for the Conference of Champions.

The Pac-12 has struggled to keep its teams together as eight of the 12 programs have found a new home beginning in 2024. The conference does not have a media deal beginning on July 1, 2024, so it is trying to figure things out on that front.

Does Conference USA's new deal spark hope for the Pac-12?

The Pac-12 needs to get going on what it's expecting for the future. Commissioner George Kliavkoff has struggled to find a deal that works for the conference as he completely overvalued their positioning. It had a deal in place with Apple TV+, but the university presidents decided against the deal.

Kliavkoff and consultant Oliver Luck have to figure things out quickly if the Pac-12 wants to stay as a conference.

The Conference of Champions currently has four teams – Washington State, Oregon State, California and Stanford – that need to figure out their futures. However, Stanford and Cal have been trying to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, but they haven't gotten approved by enough ACC teams.

Is the Conference of Champions dead at this point?

Throughout the history of college football, the Pac-12 has been one of the biggest conferences, but it seems its time is over. Kliavkoff has done a terrible job of keeping the conference alive since becoming the commissioner, but the Conference of Champions feels like it has hit its expiration date.

The fact the conference reached out to Oliver Luck is a good step but the timing is too little too late. This should have been done when UCLA and USC decided to leave for the Big Ten. There was still life in the conference, but the Conference USA deal is just a stark reminder of what could have been. Now the best hope is for the Mountain West to merge or the remaining four teams to find new homes.