Eight Schools Leave Pac-12, How to Watch Remaining Four
The Pac-12 is slowly falling apart, with eight schools leaving the league and a media rights deal still needing to be put in place. That means that college football fans may not be able to watch kick-off this fall.
Viewers may be forced to stream games on the league’s website if the Pac-12 lacks a media deal.
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It all began in June 2022 when Pac-12 schools UCLA and USC announced they would leave the league in 2024. In the end, eight schools departed the Pac-12 leaving the league with only four remaining schools—a.k.a. the Pac-4.
Unfortunately for the remaining schools, the league’s potential deals with Apple, FOX, and ESPN failed to materialize, and it’s unclear if fans will be able to watch broadcasts of the league’s football and basketball games in the 2023–2024 season.
Luckily, the Pac-12 Network lists upcoming matches, and viewers can follow the action online, but it’s a far cry from when the league was broadcast on major networks like ESPN and FOX.
How can I watch the Big Ten?
The Big Ten Network is on Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and fuboTV. Select games will air across three networks for the 2023–2024 academic year: CBS and Paramount+, FOX, NBC Sports, and Peacock. The league used to air its games on ESPN, but that deal expired, and it will now work with three broadcasters.
Here’s the channel breakdown:
Airing on FOX Sports (including FS1)
- 24–32 football games, primarily in the afternoon
- At least 45 men’s basketball games on FOX and FS1
- Select women’s basketball games and Olympic events
- The Big Ten championship game in 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029
Airing on CBS Sports (including CBS and Paramount+)
- 14–15 football games on CBS and Paramount+, including one Thanksgiving game
- Up to 15 men’s basketball games, including the men’s semi-finals and championship and the women’s tournament
- The Big Ten championship game in 2024 and 2028
Airing on NBC Sports (including Peacock)
- 14–16 football games on NBC and Peacock, including eight Peacock exclusive games and NBC primetime games
- Up to 77 men’s basketball games on Peacock
- Up to 40 Olympic sports events on Peacock
- Big Ten championship game in 2026
Airing on the Big Ten Network
- Up to 50 football games
- At least 126 men’s basketball games, including games in the tournament
- At least 40 women’s basketball games, including games in the tournament
- Coverage of Olympic sports events
The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Utah departed the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference.
How can I watch the Big 12?
The Big 12 games are primarily on FOX and ESPN (including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, and ABC). The football rights are split between ESPN and FOX, while basketball is on ESPN and CBS Sports.
In 2022, the league negotiated a contraction extension with ESPN and FOX, which includes:
Airing on ESPN
- Football games airing in primetime
- The Big 12 Football Championship Game
- The Big 12 basketball championship
Airing on FOX Sports
- Twenty-six football games per season
- A significant (but undetermined) number of basketball games
The University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Oregon; the University of Southern California; and the University of Washington departed the Pac-12 for the Big 12 Conference.
