Pac-12, CBS ink media deal as league pursues expansion

Another round of college football conference realignment has resulted in a new major media deal, this time as the Pac-12 joins forces with CBS Sports going forward.

CBS and the Pac-12 announced an extension of their existing partnership to make the network the conference’s primary media partner, it was announced on Monday.

The arrangement runs through the 2030-31 football season and will include the Pac-12 Championship Game in football and the Pac-12 Tournament title match in men’s basketball, each broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+.

“As the new Pac-12’s primary media partner CBS Sports’ top-tier coverage will showcase the best of the conference’s football and men’s basketball games annually across our platforms, including the championship game for both sports,” CBS Sports executive vice president of programming Dan Weinberg said.

“Extending this partnership strengthens our multiplatform college football and basketball schedule and, at a pivotal moment for the new Pac-12, allows us to collaborate, grow the conference, and expand its reach,” he added.

The most recent conference realignment projects of the last couple years left the Pac-12 as the big loser after most of its members departed for other leagues.

Oregon, USC, Washington, and UCLA joined the Big Ten, while Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona State signed up with the Big 12.

Stanford and Cal then joined forces with the ACC, leaving just Oregon State and Washington State as the last vestiges of the historic Pac-12 Conference.

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But the league rebounded, signing up Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State, in addition to Gonzaga as a non-football member, and will begin competition in its new form in 2026-27.

Now, the new-look Pac-12 has a media deal in place to get back into big-time competition.

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