The trigger in the death of the Pac-12; what of SMU, Stanford and “The leftovers?”

The demise of old fashioned TV continues to be slightly exaggerated, as the streamers will have their day but it’s not today.

Not tomorrow, either.

The sad destruction of the Pac-12 can be put on TV.

According to people familiar with the negotiations between the Pac-12 Conference and Apple TV+, there was one major reason why the conference members were so reluctant to agree to an incentive-laden contract with the streaming-only network.

Apple TV+’s proposal included a provision that required the Pac-12 schools to cover the costs of broadcasting the games.

Not only would the Pac-12 schools make considerably less money than the other Power 5 Conference schools in this media right’s deal, they would also incur the costs, and headaches, that come with producing a televised broadcast of a game.

That detail, among a handful of others, prompted the University of Washington and University of Oregon to reach out to their good friends at the Big 10 to see if they might have a spot.

The Pac-12 potentially accepting Apple TV+’s offer would have been a calculated risk that streaming-only is the future of sports broadcasting.

TV is trending in that direction, but as evidenced by the large contracts secured by the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC with ESPN and Fox, the streaming-only platforms may always trail those that have a place on the tele’, and streaming.

When Oregon and Washington had a tentative “YES” with the Big 10, a source confirmed the University of Arizona board, which also manages Arizona State, realized to remain in the Pac-12 was a gamble they could not take. They reached out to the Big 12 to accept the invitation, as did the University of Utah.

Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State will play one more season as members of the Pac-12, the same for Oregon and Washington. UCLA and USC will start next summer in the Big 10.

The Pac-12 currently has four members secured for 2024-2025: California, Stanford, Washington State and Oregon State.

What happens to the Pac-12? Right now, it’s a conference in name only. Its fictional value is currently “trading” for about $5.58 on the NYSE.

Washington State and Oregon State could quickly find homes in the 12-team Mountain West Conference. The MWC could merge with the Pac-12, and change names.

If this does happen, it’s hard to envision any scenario where SMU pulls out of the American Athletic Conference to join the MWC/Pac-12.

For a few months this year, San Diego State was out-the-door to the Pac-12, and SMU was lobbying hard to join that league.

Friday’s announcements kills any chance either school had of gaining entry to a Power 5 Conference for the foreseeable future.

It’s equally hard to envision a scenario where Cal and Stanford settle in as conference members with San Jose State, Boise State, UNLV and the rest of the universities whose academic reputation isn’t nearly that of the out-going Pac-12 schools.

(Apparently Arizona State is Yale.)

According to one source, Stanford has reached out to the Big 10 but the response has been “Uhhhh .... you’re breakin’ up ... goin’ into a tunnel ... we’ll call you back.” CLICK.

Stanford’s athletic department routinely is one of the best, overall, in the United States. Football is the problem. It’s a bigger problem now because Stanford is reluctant to be aggressive in the transfer portal.

Stanford wants the Stanford degree to be a four-year experience.

Stanford could pull a Notre Dame and just go independent. Don’t cry for Stanford; its $36 billion endowment should help the school survive.

Its geographic and conference rival, the University of California, is in a much harder space.

The interest in sports at Cal is sporadic, at best, and the political culture at the school has always made it one of the harder athletic departments in the nation.

It’s doubtful Cal wants to go the path of the University of Chicago, which famously dropped its successful football program in 1939. It was probably the dumbest decision the school ever made.

Expect more announcements in the coming days, and for all of the games you desire to be where you’ve always known them: TV.