The 2021 edition of the Pac-12’s midsummer media gathering will feature a new boss, a remote coach and a recruiting scandal — all of it cast against forces of momentous change in college sports.
The festivities begin Tuesday at 8 a.m., with remarks from commissioner George Kliavkoff, followed by interviews with players and coaches.
Here are seven storylines to watch:
1. Conference realignment. Every coach will be asked about Pac-12 expansion in the wake of the Texas and Oklahoma news.
Some coaches might offer an opinion on the hottest of issues. One or two of those opinions might even make sense.
But unless Kliavkoff reveals specifics of his strategy, it’s all fodder for speculation that will unfold over the coming weeks … and months.
2. A voice for the coaches? Don’t be surprised if Kliavkoff announces the appointment of a special advisor for football — a former coach (like Washington’s Chris Petersen) or athletic director (perhaps Utah’s Chris Hill) who knows the conference intimately and could work closely with the schools to coordinate strategy.
The position would have been essential under normal circumstances as the Pac-12 begins to assess complex issues like the merits of the division format and the nine-game conference schedule.
But the prospect of conference realignment, with Texas and Oklahoma seemingly moving to the SEC and the Pac-12 open for business, makes a football liaison that much more important.
The Big Ten just named former Wisconsin coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez to a similar position. As we wrote months ago, the Pac-12 would be wise to follow its peer.
3. Endorsement deals. We’re a few weeks into the era of Name, Image and Likeness, and the news has been fairly quiet across the Pac-12. (The major exception is Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.)
What better platform for athletes to reveal endorsement deals than a major media event.
The list of marquee players scheduled to attend includes quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (Arizona State), Kedon Slovis (USC) and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA).
4. The media poll. The preseason media poll isn’t completely meaningless, because it helps set the expectations by which teams, and coaches, are judged.
The Pac-12 poll will be unveiled early in the day, perhaps before Kliavkoff utters his first sentence.
We expect Oregon to be favored in the North, followed by Washington and then a substantial gap to third place. The South is a bit murkier, with first-place support possible for as many as three teams: USC, Arizona State and Utah.
When it comes to accuracy, the poll leaves much to be desired: The media has picked the eventual conference champion just five times in the past 13 years.
The short list of successes includes last season, when the media favorite, Oregon, did not win the North but beat USC for the championship.
5. Rolovich goes remote. One coach won’t be in attendance: Washington State’s Nick Rolovich, who announced last week that he has opted against the COVID vaccine “for reasons which will remain private.”
As a result, he cannot participate in person Tuesday and will field questions from the media via Zoom “about our football team and the incredible young men in our program.”
Best guess: There will be fewer questions about those “incredible young men” and many more about Rolovich’s anti-vax stance. Specifically, he will be pressed on the message it sends to his players and the impact it could have on the Cougars’ season.
The extent to which Rolovich spars with the media could generate the most memorable exchanges of the event.
6. Edwards in the spotlight. Talkative ASU coach Herm Edwards has been understandably silent of late, with his program immersed in a major recruiting scandal.
Edwards has declined to address allegations that ASU hosted recruits during the extended dead period created by the pandemic.
We suspect he will duck and dodge all questions, but it could get a bit uncomfortable for Edwards. Frankly, it should get uncomfortable for Edwards — if true, the transgressions are deplorable.
Don’t count on Kliavkoff addressing the matter. Per policy, the conference doesn’t comment on active NCAA investigations.
7. Key injury update. Perhaps the most significant Pac-12 injury of the offseason occurred in Seattle, where star edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui suffered a torn Achilles. The recovery timeline provided by Washington coach Jimmy Lake called for Tupuola-Fetui to miss at least six months, suggesting a potential return in late October or early November.
Will Lake have an updated (and perhaps accelerated) window for his star player’s return? Every week could make a difference in the North race.
