Teeny, tiny conference enlarges its TV deal

A micro-mini sports conference is enlarging its national TV deal.
Right now, the Pac-12 has (despite its name) exactly two teams. But it will add seven more next season … as its deal with the CW network grows to annually include 66 games in three sports.
The Pac-12 has a steep sports tradition, including 51 Rose Bowl winners in football and 15 national championships in men’s basketball. But prior to last season, most of those winners — including UCLA, with 11 of the basketball titles — left. The Pac-12 had only Oregon State (shown here) and Washington State.
But those two kept the name and landed a football deal with CW, mostly for non-conference games. This year, that starts with Idaho-Washington State (10 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 30) and peaks with Oregon State and Washington State — wags call it the conference championship– at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29.
And now those two have lined up teams to join the conference next year — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga. San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State. They arrive in time for a new, five-year deal; each year, the include:
— 13 in football.
— 35 in regular-season men’s basketball.
— 15 in regular-season women’s basketball, plus the semi-finals and finals in the new women’s tournament.
Formed from a merger of WB and UPN, the CW has floundered in the ratings for other shows, but keeps growing in sports. It also carries Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball, plus NASCAR, bull-riding, wrestling and beach volleyball. Next year, it adds bowling.