Jon Wilner goes in-depth on what the Pac-12 should do to be more 'attractive,' impact of Lincoln Riley

It’s an interesting time for the Pac-12. All five bowl-eligible teams lost their respective games, but USC is has been reenergized after hiring Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma.

But the big question is how the league can maximize its media ratings as it works out its new deal, and longtime Pac-12 columnist Jon Wilner shared some ideas on The Paul Finebaum Show this week.

Wilner argued the Pac-12 will likely end up with more media money as it works out its next deal, but it still needs to capitalize on some ratings draws. The biggest factor in that equation is Riley, who used the transfer portal to overhaul USC and bring the Trojans back to the forefront of college football. That, he said, is huge for the league.

“I think they need to be a little bit creative with when they’re willing to play, in terms of getting some broadcast windows that maybe are a little unconventional,” Wilner said. “I think that they’re going to be OK. I think they’re going to end up with a lot more media money than the Big 12 and the ACC a year from now. They’re probably going to start the negotiations late this year, early next year.

“They’ve got value. There’s a lot of people out west and there are some pretty good football brands, and I can’t imagine better timing for the Pac-12 than to have Lincoln Riley at USC for this coming season because USC being a big deal means more money in the Pac-12 banks. There’s no question about that.”

Jon Wilner: The Pac-12 should play a game at 9 a.m. PT

Wilner suggested a unique time slot: 9 a.m. PT. That would compete directly with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff game, which starts at the same time and would allow for some higher West Coast numbers. In fact, the Pac-12 did that once during the pandemic season.

However, that game happened to be the same day the 2020 election was called. Talk about bad luck.

“That was my idea was a few times a year, they ought to play at 9 a.m. on a Pac-12 campus, local time,” Wilner said. “So basically, you’re getting in the Fox Big Noon Kickoff broadcast window. They did it once, it was the pandemic year. It was the fall of 2020 when the Pac-12 started in early November and their first game was USC against ASU. It was a 9 a.m. Pacific Time kickoff, and the problem they had — terrible luck — the election was called that Saturday 30 minutes before kickoff.

“Cable news ratings were 3,000 times higher than normal, and even though the Pac-12 game did better than a normal Pac-12 game, it didn’t live up to the normal Big Noon ratings because of the election.”