Scott said the late kickoffs help provide partners like ESPN and Fox with high-quality windowsGETTY IMAGES
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott believes in the benefits of Pac-12 After Dark, but acknowledges the conference receives a "significant amount of negative feedback" about late start times for college football games, according to Bob Lundeberg of the Portland OREGONIAN. Scott said, "It's clear that for certain fans, that's a real irritation, and it's a concern for our athletic departments." Scott said the conference plays almost a third of its games at night because it was a "way to unlock significant value from television in our last negations." He noted ESPN and Fox "placed a high value on us giving them a little more flexibility and being willing to play more night games." Scott: "We essentially extend their day. We give them a whole other window of high-quality, highly rated games." He said the Pac-12 Networks is "very healthy," but is "not growing at this stage." Scott said the conference net is "creating a lot of value for the members," and he would "describe it as stable, valuable but probably not growing at the moment" (Portland OREGONIAN, 9/23).
