The Pac-12 added a modest amount of stability to the rocky college athletics landscape Thursday with a statement addressing the future of the conference.
The league announced Thursday that, after internal discussions with its member schools, the Pac-12 will not be expanding at this time. The statement cited “the current competitive strength and cohesiveness of our 12 universities” as the key reason for the decision.
Pac-12 statement on expansion: pic.twitter.com/FRmwq4ddcb
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) August 26, 2021
Even if the Pac-12 did want to expand, it’s not terribly clear how they would pursue that. There had been talk that the conference might look to nab some of the schools from what is left of the Big 12, a possibility commissioner George Kliavkoff floated publicly last month, but nothing ever came of that. The decision to instead form an arrangement with two other power conferences also likely contributed to the announcement.
One thing is certain: the SEC’s addition of Texas and Oklahoma has destabilized the NCAA landscape. Things have stabilized a bit in recent weeks as other conferences reacted to that. It remains unclear what the future holds for the remainder of the Big 12, which is trying to take on ESPN over the exodus of two of its most notable members.
