Pac-12 Conference Discusses Sunday Football Games

Pac-12 Conference football games on Sundays could become a reality if the NFL lockout goes for a while. The idea is getting batted around within the league, and it even spread to the Tuesday night episode of "Pardon the Interruption." While a far-fetched idea, it has actually started to gain traction with some fans who wouldn't mind watching college football on Sundays.

Tim Dienhart wrote that there could be a real void in Sunday programming if the NFL doesn't have games to provide to the major networks. Networks like Fox, CBS, and NBC already have to pay for the rights to air the games, even if the NFL is still locked out. It means they could stand to lose a lot of revenue from advertisers which would have paid them had the games been broadcast. If college football had some games to offer, it could help soften the blow of having no NFL games.

How far along these discussions are in the Pac-12 (formerly the Pac-10 Conference) is unclear, but Dienhart had a key quote from Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott that might shed a bit of light: "We certainly are monitoring the situation. We have no plans in place at this time, but you want to be prepared and consider all options. Still, these labor situations have a way of getting done the closer they get to a critical situation."

If we believe what Scott said, then it appears we aren't close at all to seeing these college teams play on Sundays. It seems like it could lead to a huge mess in the conference schedule even if it did happen, especially with the lead time necessary to make it work. The conference shouldn't just reserve the right to move a game from Saturday to Sunday at a later date if they want to do it. That isn't fair to the fans, players, or coaches who are trying hard to prepare for the games.

Maybe when it comes to the Pac-12, though, having some Sunday games could really show off the teams and players the conference has to offer. Sometimes it seems like the East Coast voters tune out on the Saturday night games the conference plays, and you can't help but wonder if Sunday games could even the playing field a bit. This doesn't delve into the fact that they would be severely breaking with tradition if college games weren't held on Saturdays.

As the NFL lockout continues to drag out, it's easy to start thinking of alternatives. An alternative like this one might be going too far, though.

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