PAC-12 'Not Close' To A Deal With ESPN: REPORT

The PAC-12's disaster of a media rights situation continues to be stuck in the mud.

Commissioner George Kliavkoff has been attempting to hammer out a new media deal, but so far, nothing has happened.

With the clock ticking down, it has recently started to look like the PAC-12 might actually manage to secure a deal. It was rumored ESPN, which currently owns part of the PAC-12 rights, was in the mix as a possible option for the next media rights package, but that might not actually be the case.

"The PAC-12 could turn back to ESPN/ABC, but the deal that was once on the table — the same $31 million per year per team that the Big 12 got — is no longer there. If the Pac-12 returns to ESPN, it will likely mean it is willing to take less money in exchange for exposure. At this point, a deal with ESPN is not close," the New York Post's Andrew Marchand reported Monday morning.

What will the PAC-12 do?

Marchand, who also discussed a potential Apple deal, reported two things that are very interesting. First, the fact that a deal between ESPN and the PAC-12 "is not close."

In terms of what goes down with sports media, Andrew Marchand knows his stuff. If he says a deal isn't close, I'm inclined to believe that's the case. That would seem to go against the recent momentum the conference appeared to be experiencing.

PAC-12 reportedly not close to a media deal with ESPN. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Second, and this is significantly more important, if the PAC-12 has to take less money from ESPN - possibly less than $31 million - that's when you'll start hearing real conversations about the conference splitting up.

Remember, several PAC-12 officials have urged calmness and claimed a deal will get done. Yet, they've also made it clear it's about money at the end of the day.

If the PAC-12 really takes it in the shorts and can't secure a deal that matches the Big 12's $31.7 million per program annually, it would then be crisis time.

Will the PAC-12 survive? (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Would Oregon really sign a GoR for less money than could be made elsewhere? Would the Ducks risk locking themselves up for years to come knowing the Big Ten might be waiting?

Oregon's new president John Karl Scholz was a huge fan of B1G expansion when he was at Wisconsin. It's unlikely his mindset magically changed when he went to Eugene.

More than anything, it's important to remember the situation the PAC-12 is in at the moment is very chaotic. That's the truth, and until something concrete happens, nothing can be counted on.