Isolate the SEC…
From The Athletic:
The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC are engaging in high-level discussions about an alliance, sources tell The Athletic.
The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC are engaging in high-level discussions about an alliance, sources tell The Athletic.
Talks have centered around not just a scheduling alliance in football but in broader cooperation, according to sources in the three conferences. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips have been having conversations for several weeks.
“I’ve been in frequent and regular contact with all of the other A5 commissioners the last few weeks about the complex issues that are facing the industry,” Kliavkoff said, adding that there’s “nothing to report on this specific matter at this time.”
While the specifics on how a scheduling pact might work remain unclear, sources in the three conferences suggest the larger goal is alignment so that the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC can work and vote together on major issues such as College Football Playoff expansion and upcoming NCAA governance changes.
“This is their shot right back at the SEC,” one athletic director said.
All three leagues and their relatively new commissioners are feeling some pressure to respond to the SEC’s aggression after the conference added Texas and Oklahoma as new members starting in 2025. None of the three have expressed serious interest in raiding what’s left of the Big 12, so working together is a logical next step and appears to be the likely outcome.
There are differing beliefs among sources in the three conferences as to how imminently this alliance could be finalized and formally announced. Kliavkoff and Warren were together this week in California for Rose Bowl-related meetings.
While these plans are still in the works, it does appear the Big 12 will not be included in the alliance. Last week, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby met with Kliavkoff to discuss potential options for a strategic alliance. The Big 12 is currently exploring options to preserve its future after Texas and Oklahoma exit.
From The Athletic:
The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC are engaging in high-level discussions about an alliance, sources tell The Athletic.
The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC are engaging in high-level discussions about an alliance, sources tell The Athletic.
Talks have centered around not just a scheduling alliance in football but in broader cooperation, according to sources in the three conferences. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips have been having conversations for several weeks.
“I’ve been in frequent and regular contact with all of the other A5 commissioners the last few weeks about the complex issues that are facing the industry,” Kliavkoff said, adding that there’s “nothing to report on this specific matter at this time.”
While the specifics on how a scheduling pact might work remain unclear, sources in the three conferences suggest the larger goal is alignment so that the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC can work and vote together on major issues such as College Football Playoff expansion and upcoming NCAA governance changes.
“This is their shot right back at the SEC,” one athletic director said.
All three leagues and their relatively new commissioners are feeling some pressure to respond to the SEC’s aggression after the conference added Texas and Oklahoma as new members starting in 2025. None of the three have expressed serious interest in raiding what’s left of the Big 12, so working together is a logical next step and appears to be the likely outcome.
There are differing beliefs among sources in the three conferences as to how imminently this alliance could be finalized and formally announced. Kliavkoff and Warren were together this week in California for Rose Bowl-related meetings.
While these plans are still in the works, it does appear the Big 12 will not be included in the alliance. Last week, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby met with Kliavkoff to discuss potential options for a strategic alliance. The Big 12 is currently exploring options to preserve its future after Texas and Oklahoma exit.
