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It was just a year ago that George Kliavkoff absorbed the heat of the spotlight at Pac-12 Conference Football Media Day. The commissioner made an opening statement, then fielded questions while trying to get his feet underneath him.
"With respect to the Big 12 being open for business, I appreciate that," Kliavkoff quipped. "We haven't decided if we're going shopping there yet or not."
Kliavkoff later told me that his frustration stemmed from 29 days spent watching grenades get launched from "every corner of the Big 12." He was weary with the disinformation campaign and annoyed at what many believed to be an orchestrated attempt to erode the Pac-12's brand.
"I understand why they're doing it," Kliavkoff told me, "when you look at the relative media value between the two conferences. I get it, I get why they're scared, why they're trying to destabilize it. I was just tired of that."
What will the Pac-12 commissioner's tone be on Friday in Las Vegas? What will Kliavkoff say about the Big 12, if anything, after a year of chronic subterfuge?
I'll bet it felt great to take a shot at the Big 12. But it's not an act that needs an encore. It's Kliavkoff's stage on Friday. He shouldn't pull anyone on it with him.
The momentary deviation from Kliavkoff's messaging last year in Los Angeles was one of the low points of a summer spent mired in a divot. The departures of USC and UCLA were a gut punch to the Pac-12. The characteristically collegial Kliavkoff punched back — at the Big 12. It may have felt satisfying, but venting sent him off-topic and he looked distracted from the business of his own conference.
He must instill confidence on Friday. The commissioner has to give the world a peek at what has his bosses still feeling bullish. Kliavkoff needs to get busy drawing attention to his solutions, not his problems.
As Lou Holtz once said: "Don't tell your problems to people: 80% don't care; and the other 20% are glad you have them."
What is the Pac-12's biggest issue today?
It's not the football. There are five or six teams everyone views as contenders. The coaches are great. And the pool of conference quarterbacks is as talented as ever.
The Pac-12 doesn't yet have a signed media-rights deal. Fans and media are sick of talking about it and hearing about it. We're at the "show me the baby" stage.
The Pac-12's CEO Group met on Thursday in Las Vegas. One member of the conference's 10-person inner sanctum reiterated that a deal is near.
"All good," the source said.
Great. Let's go. Wrap it up.
A year ago, I walked around Pac-12 Media Day listening to folks talk about the imminent departure of Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten. One national media member pulled me close in a serious tone and said "This is real. It's happening."
It didn't.
The "Four Corners" schools were surely gone, too, remember? Utah and Arizona State were said to be teetering, per unsourced reports. Arizona and Colorado were having secret meetings and "talks" with the Big 12 as well, some honks running message-subscription-based boards claimed.
The Pac-12 deserves criticism. It lost UCLA and USC, after all. And afterward, it mishandled the crisis management and left the trolls too much oxygen. The media deal has dragged out. The goal posts have been moved and re-moved a number of times. It's been messy.
Still, on Thursday there were 10 eager, engaged members at roll call for that CEO Group meeting in Las Vegas.
Oregon … present.
Washington … there.
Colorado, Arizona, Utah and ASU … all still at the table.
After the CEO Group meeting on Thursday, Kliavkoff stepped into a session with the conference's athletic directors. It looked like business as usual for a conference some said was cooked a year ago.
Kliavkoff's tone on Friday will be important. He needs a strong performance. He's going to face some tough questions. It's important that he be transparent, confident, and turn the day into a win. We're being told that he won't have a deal to announce, but what Kliavkoff has to do is competently explain what's holding it up and provide a look at the framework.
What Kliavkoff should not do on Friday is pull his trolls on stage with him.
They've had their fun, haven't they?
Read more of columnist John Canzano exclusively at JohnCanzano.com.
