Battle lines are being drawn among the NCAA’s Power 5 conferences in light of the SEC’s pending expansion.
According to Max Olson of The Athletic, the Pac-12, Big Ten, and ACC are in high-level talks about forming an alliance. The proposals include cooperation in terms of non-conference scheduling, as well as general alignment on upcoming proposals such as College Football Playoff expansion and NCAA rules and governance changes.
The talks have been at a high enough level that league commissioners George Kliavkoff, Kevin Warren, and Jim Phillips have spoken about the possibility for several weeks.
“This is their shot right back at the SEC,” one athletic director told The Athletic.
There isn’t a lot of precedent for an alliance like this, but it certainly demonstrates just how much the SEC’s pending addition of Texas and Oklahoma has changed the college sports landscape. Plus, any focus on rules changes could lead to the three conferences banding together to ensure the passage of rule changes that curb the SEC and prevent it from getting too powerful relative to other leagues.
One thing that isn’t clear is what this means for the future of the Big 12. There had been some chatter that they might either ally with or be absorbed by the Pac-12, but it’s pretty obvious that they’re not viewed as significant enough to hold much sway in this potential alliance.
