Golden Nuggets: Latest Pac-12 TV Assignments Give the Network Little Leverage in Negotiations

Networks picked up another round of games earlier this week and the Pac-12 Network scavenged on the scraps left behind by ESPN and Fox. With an underwhelming broadcast schedule for the first three weeks of the season, has the Pac-12 Network hurt its ability to negotiate deals with new carriers?

The Pac-12 just released the TV assignments and kickoff times for early-season games on ESPN, Fox and the Pac12Nets … plus the full broadcast schedule for Thursday/Friday games … and a handful of non-conference tangles that are owned by other leagues.

*** The Pac-12 Networks broadcast lineup is, well, ho-hum:

Of the 13 non-conference games scheduled to air the weekends of Aug. 31, Sept. 7 and Sept. 14, a grand total of one is against a BCS-level opponent, and that’s Boston College at USC.

Meanwhile, more than half of the Pac12Nets games are against FCS-level teams.

Granted, the league is somewhat at the mercy of the schedules, which were put together by the schools years in advance.

But you can’t sugarcoat a 13-game broadcast lineup that includes Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, Sac State, Weber State, Portland State, Central Arkansas, Southern Utah and UT-San Antonio.

*** Of the games that have been selected, ESPN and Fox got the choice inventory.

#paid3billionforit

Larry Scott has his work cut out if he wants to lure DirecTV.

Football

• Phil Steele puts together his preseason All-Pac-12 first, second, third, and fourth teams. Deandre Coleman is the highest rated Bear as he earns a place on the second team. Chris Harper, Jordan Rigsbee, Vince D'Amato, and Cole Leininger were named to the third team. Finally, Brendan Bigelow and Nick Forbes earned spots on the fourth team. With 7 players, Cal is tied with Wazzu for 8th in the conference.
• Two-star Houston defensive end Isadore Outing committed to the Bears.

Golf

• The Bears were fifth after day one of the NCAA Championships.
• Cal rose to 2nd after day two and sits one stroke behind Georgia Tech.
• Steve Desimone is one of six finalists vying for the Williams Award, given annual to the collegiate coach of the year.
• Five players were named to the PING All-West region team.

Crew

• A quartet of Bears was named to the CRCA All-West Region teams.
• Lynn Anderson and Maggie Simpson were named CRCA Scholar Athletes.

Baseball

• Andrew Knapp earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 first team.

Softball

• Jolene Henderson was named to the NFCA All-American second team.

Soccer

• Assistant coach Leonard Griffin and volunteer assistant coach Javier Ayala-Hil joined Kevin Grimes' staff.
• A few members of the women's team wrote on CalBears.com about experiences playing for the US U-20 team.