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San Francisco • It appears the Utah Utes are about to get a nice little bonus from their move to the Pac-10 Conference.
League presidents are expected to approve at a meeting Thursday an alignment for football that will place the Utes in the same division as USC, UCLA and the two Arizona schools — the precise scenario that athletic director Chris Hill said recently would be their first choice. Hill did not want to elaborate on the eve of the meeting, though, knowing the decisions are not yet final.
"We'll wait to see exactly what's finalized," he said, "and then it's time maybe to talk about what's best for us or how it works out."
The presidents also are expected to approve plans for revenue-sharing, scheduling in men's basketball, and a new championship game in football. Several league sources said the league is leaning toward playing the title game at the home of the higher-seeded division champion, rather than a neutral site, at least for the first few years. League commissioner Larry Scott has scheduled a press conference for 12:30 p.m. MDT to discuss the decisions, suggesting he expects a quick resolution to the meeting.
Quoting unnamed sources familiar with the league's discussions about the key issues surrounding its addition of Utah and Colorado next year, The Seattle Times reported the presidents will vote on a proposal to give USC and UCLA an additional $2 million a year above what the other 10 members will receive in revenue sharing, until broadcast revenues reach a certain level.
At that point, the 12 members would share equally.
The league is still debating the level that would trigger equal revenue distribution under that plan, the newspaper said, but probably will settle on something between $130 million and $170 million a year. The proposal reflects how USC and UCLA — accustomed to a greater share of the league's current revenue, by virtue of a distribution system centered around television appearances — want some revenue guarantees before the league begins a new television contract in 2012.
That would be another way the Utes won't be getting as much money as their new league colleagues, at least initially. The Utes won't receive a full share of the league's revenue distribution until 2014-15.
New-look Pac-12
League presidents are expected to approve new divisions for the 12-team league at a meeting Thursday:
North Division
Cal
Oregon
Oregon State
Stanford
Washington
Washington State
South Division
Arizona
Arizona State
Colorado
UCLA
USC
Utah