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Matt's avatar

Ben, I agree that they probably have asked at some point in history but not for the current situation. It is circumstantial but with what I read in John’s story and what the USC guy didn’t say based on his quote, to me it looks like they didn’t approach Kliavkoff.

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Benjamin Miller's avatar

You could be right. Probably are, I'm guessing. I don't see how it's USC's responsibility to ask. Kliavkoff knew (or should have known) that USC would prefer a larger cut of media rights. He's the commissioner. If offering USC a higher percentage was an option in Kliavkoff's mind, it's his job to communicate that.

The reality is, Kliavkoff (and Canzano, for that matter) thought USC wasn't a threat to leave, and thus didn't give the Trojans the respect they deserve for carrying the conference's media profile. And while that was happening, many Trojans -- including yours truly -- wanted USC to leave the Pac 12 because it was clear that the Pac 12 had lost its way and had no intention of doing something bold to fix the situation. (For what it's worth, I had asked for a move to the SEC for years. In hindsight, the Big Ten was the right move.)

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