Pac-12 is ready to do sales job at football media days

Three things you can bank on when the Pac-12 Conference holds its football media days this week:

• Oregon will be picked to win the conference.

• Music mogul Sean Combs will not be the keynote speaker.

• Little, if anything, of significance will be uttered.

Pac-12 officials, the conference’s football head coaches and a few players will gather Thursday and Friday at Warner Bros. Studios for what is essentially a two-day infomercial. The hope is that it will help generate buzz and, of course, income.

“Certainly, the expansion and growth of these events reflects both the fans’ readiness to start the season and conference officials realizing the sooner you engage them, the better it is economically,” said Paul Swangard, a special assistant to the dean of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at Oregon. “They want to sell the remaining seats, bring in partners to launch the season-long sponsorships.

“I think the colleges are taking a page out of the pro sports playbook. The season typically lasts four months. How do you create ways to extend the promotional calendar?”

The Southeastern Conference has a four-day media circus. The other four power conferences — the Pac-12, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Big 12 — get it done in two days.

If any other conferences went to four days, the SEC might go to eight, or so goes the working theory.

“When does it become a cruise to the Mexican Riviera?” Swangard said, jokingly. “It seems insane, but when we talk about the business of sport, whether it’s what people pay or what rights holders pay for TV rights, every time we think we’ve reached a precipice, there is an insatiable desire for more.

“Actually, I wouldn’t put it past them to have a cruise. It’d be 12 days and every team would get a day.”

The Pac-12 began its tour Wednesday by shipping its football head coaches to the East Coast for interviews with ESPN. The group returned the same night on the same airplane and will spend two days answering many of the same questions.

“It’s become a spectacular media frenzy, a pretty remarkable rise,” Swangard said. “It’s a clear reflection of maximizing the potential of the golden goose. It’s certainly justifiable for the conference, and an extended Groundhog’s Day for the coaches.”

As for legitimate issues and story lines:

The ‘if’ factor

Oregon and UCLA are arguably the most talented teams in the conference, and they share a main issue: the question of who will play quarterback.

Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota left a year of eligibility in Eugene, Ore., to jump to the NFL. Vernon Adams, who passed for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons at Eastern Washington, has transferred in as a graduate student.

Brett Hundley also left for the NFL, ending his record-setting career at UCLA after three seasons. Jerry Neuheisel and freshman Josh Rosen will compete for the job.

Even with Mariota and Hundley gone, the conference has a quarterback who is an early Heisman contender: USC’s Cody Kessler, who passed for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns last season.

Moving on

There are issues the coaches will be asked about, but will seek to leave in the off-season.

At UCLA, offensive line coach Adrian Klemm was suspended while the school and conference investigated allegations of rules violations. Then Combs, whose son is on the Bruins roster, got into an altercation with UCLA strength and conditioning personnel. Klemm was reinstated, though the investigation continues, and Combs is not slated to sing the national anthem at any Bruins games.

At Washington, troubled quarterback Cyler Miles did not participate in spring practice for a second consecutive season. A year ago, he was suspended during an investigation into a purported assault, though he was never charged. This spring, he was absent for what Washington officials called “personal reasons.” Miles retired in June because of a hip injury, school officials said.

At Oregon, Adams is expected to sit out at least the first three days of training camp because he has to pass a math class before becoming eligible.

At Utah, there was a reported rift between Athletic Director Chris Hill and Coach Kyle Whittingham, who had to replace his offensive and defensive coordinators.

At the helm

Seven teams are set at quarterback and five have quarterback competitions — or the illusion of one.

USC has Kessler, Stanford has Kevin Hogan, California has Jared Goff, Arizona has Anu Solomon, Arizona State has Mike Bercovici, Colorado has Sefo Liufau and Utah has Travis Wilson.

Adams is expected to earn the job at Oregon and UCLA probably will let Rosen learn on the job. Washington, Washington State and Oregon State have the most open competitions.

South rises again

The Pac-12 South, by some metrics, was the toughest division in college football last season and will be again this season. Early predictions have USC and UCLA battling for the title, but Arizona State and Arizona appear capable. And don’t forget that Utah owned Los Angeles last season, defeating USC and UCLA.

Follow Chris Foster on Twitter @cfosterlatimes