The so-called “Pac-2” of Oregon State and Washington State are discussing a partnership with the Mountain West after this season. Plus: the MLB All-Star Game is returning to Atlanta after a controversial exit; NBC will use its Big Ten broadcast team on the NFL next month.
“Pac-2” discussing scheduling partnership with Mountain West
Oregon State and Washington State, the two schools remaining in the Pac-12 after this season, are in discussions with the Mountain West about a football-only scheduling partnership, per Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports. Per Yahoo, the most likely arrangement is a 7+1 model in which each Mountain West team would play seven conference games, plus one game against either school.
Neither Oregon State or Washington State would be considered a member of the Mountain West, instead serving as functional independents. Nor would the so-called “Pac-2” be part of the existing Mountain West media rights deal.
Earlier this week, the two schools won a preliminary injunction making them the only voting members of the Pac-12 board of governors. In seeking the injunction, they argued that the ten departing schools had in essence given their “notice of withdrawal” by announcing their exits from the conference, which per bylaws voided their voting rights. Control of the board gives the schools control over Pac-12 revenue and branding; had it not won such control, the departing ten could have conceivably voted to disband the conference and disperse its assets equally. (CBS Sports 11.16, Yahoo Sports 11.16)
MLB All-Star Game awarded to Atlanta four years after removal
The 2025 Major League Baseball All-Star Game has been awarded to Atlanta, marking the first time in 25 years that the city will host the Midsummer Classic. Atlanta was slated to host the game in 2021, but MLB moved the game to Colorado over opposition to a Georgia voting law. The decision resulted in bitter feelings and became a political football during the following year’s gubernatorial election.
The four-year gap is relatively long compared to other instances in which cities lost an All-Star Game. COVID-era All-Star hosts Los Angeles (2020 MLB), South Florida (2021 NHL) and Indianapolis (2021 NBA) were each awarded another game within three years (2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively). The NBA awarded Charlotte its 2019 All-Star Game just two years after pulling the 2017 contest due to opposition over a North Carolina “bathroom bill.” (MLB 11.16)
NBC Big Ten team of Eagle, Blackledge, Tappen, to call NFL game
The lead NBC Big Ten broadcast team of Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen will work the Bengals-Steelers NFL game on NBC December 23, it was announced Thursday. Bengals-Steelers is the first half of a rare NBC-produced doubleheader, with the usual Sunday Night Football team of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark calling Bills-Chargers exclusively on Peacock.
It is no surprise NBC is going with its lead college football team for the assignment. For years when it aired a Wild Card Saturday doubleheader, NBC would use its Notre Dame football team on the secondary game.
Eagle has called traditional NFL games for NFL Network and is the voice of Nickelodeon’s “Slimecast” alternate presentations. It was not immediately clear whether Blackledge has previously called an NFL game on national television. Tappen filled in for Michele Tafoya on multiple Sunday Night Football games in recent years, but was passed over for the permanent position.
NBC is producing three playoff games over Wild Card weekend, making it highly likely that Eagle, Blackledge and Tappen will work a game that weekend as well. (NBC Sports)
