Arizona President Claims - Without Evidence - PAC-12 Media Deal Will Be 'Better' Than The Big 12

University of Arizona president Robert Robbins continues to hype up the PAC-12, and his latest claim should raise a few eyebrows.

Despite months of carnage and issues, it does appear the conference is closing in on a new media deal. What will that deal look like? That remains to be seen.

However, it will apparently pay at least $31.7 million to conference members, which is the Big 12's deal. Robbins told The Athletic the final amount will be "better" than what the PAC-12 received. Did he offer any proof for that claim? Nope. He just made it and rolled with it.

Will the PAC-12 beat the Big 12?

That's a bit odd because just the other day, Robbins said it wasn't worth leaving the PAC-12 over just a few million dollars.

Any rational person interpreted that as the PAC-12 would hit the $31.7 million mark. Now, it sounds like the PAC-12 won't just hit it, the conference will exceed it.

Robbins also told The Athletic people have been convinced of an imminent collapse because of a great sales job from the Big 12 and commissioner Brett Yormark.

"I think Brett (Yormark) is a heck of a salesman, and Endeavor (a Hollywood agency working with the Big 12) is a good PR firm, and they’re working it. And you (the media) are buying what they’re selling," Robbins told The Athletic.

The Athletic also reported ESPN is believed to be the leader for the PAC-12 rights, and Robbins further added the "majority" of games will be on linear TV. That pushes back on the claim streaming is where the PAC-12 would live.

What should fans believe?

At this point, it truly seems like nobody should trust anything you're hearing. There are dueling narratives, and information is changing by the hour. Again, Robbins implied Arizona wouldn't leave, even if the PAC-12 didn't score a deal as hot as the Big 12's.

His exact comment was, "It’s heavily dependent on (commissioner George Kliavkoff) and his team negotiating a good media deal for us to stay competitive. I don’t think anybody wants to leave. Why would you move for a couple million dollars a year more."

Now, he's telling people the deal will be better. How did things change so quickly? It's definitely bizarre to say the least.

At this point, it's smart to not trust a thing you hear unless it can be confirmed.

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.