With each passing season the Pac-12 continues to fall further behind in revenue distribution to its Power Five piers of the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12. Commissioner Larry Scott negotiated a long term television deal back 2012 that does not expire until 2024. During that 12 year span the other conferences have had multiple TV deals that have significantly improved their financial situations.

According to Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News, financial projections for Pac-12 media rights distributions in 2019 will be $33 million per school. The SEC is expected to distribute $44.6 million to its member schools and the Big Ten is expected to distribute a staggering $55 million to its member schools.

That is already a huge revenue gap and it is certainly going to get wider over the next four years before the Pac-12 gets a new media rights deal.

New USC athletic director Mike Bohn recently joined the Peristyle Podcast and talked about the competitive disadvantage Pac-12 teams are facing.

"We all know that the Pac-12 media rights deal has not met our expectations and we are falling drastically behind," Bohn said. "Just from 2018 numbers, we're $11 million per year, per institution, shy of the average remaining four Power Five conferences. So that's a gap that is a serious competitive disadvantage for us.

"This is something that we really have to spend a lot more time on and ensure that we can find some solutions because we are closer to the American Athletic Conference in the distributions than we are to the SEC and Big Ten.

"I know Larry Scott and his team are committed to try and find those solutions for us."

The Trojans have the most prestigious brand in the conference Bohn knows it. He is ready for USC to step up and take more of a leadership role in the Pac-12.

"It's really simple, you think of the LA market and the value to the league there, obviously our ongoing series with Notre Dame, our marquee games that we commit to in non-conference, it's important for us to continue to be leaders in the Pac-12," Bohn said. "It's important for us to operate from a place of strength."

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That translates to USC getting a bigger share of the pie when the next media rights deal comes together instead of an even split with schools like Oregon State.

But would a larger percentage of the revenue even be enough for the Trojans to keep up with the Alabama's and Ohio State's of the world?

USC's previous two athletic directors had zero college administration experience and both went along in lockstep with the conference leadership. Now, with the Pac-12 unable to keep pace with other top conferences, Bohn has options that would never have been considered previously.

We asked Bohn if he would consider going independent or joining another conference in order to keep USC among the best college football programs in the country.

"I think right now, and Larry would agree with this, everything is on the table," he said.

I am sure Larry Scott would not have advocated USC leaving the Pac-12, but just having that as an option should put the Trojans in a much stronger negotiating position for the next big media rights deal.