STILLWATER – When it comes to conference realignment there is really no impossibility, everything is on the table and every report is potentially credible. The latest early Saturday morning from The Athletic makes all the sense in the world and might be a real bum deal for the remaining teams in the Big 12 that will be left when Texas and Oklahoma do end up leaving the conference.
More: What Would All This Mean for Oklahoma State?
According to several of The Athletic’s college sports writers and including the byline writer on the story Max Olson, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, and Pac-12 Conference have been engaging in high level conversations with regard to forming a scheduling alliance or something even more concrete. The end game is to match up with the Southeastern Conference after their late July grab of premier Big 12 members Texas and Oklahoma.
Starting with the SEC Football Media Days, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has spoke of a need for someone other the NCAA, someone or something that is more capable, take over the lead of directing college athletics. His suggestion seems to be himself and the Southeastern Conference.
Since the news of Texas and Oklahoma leaving and the quick process of those schools notifying the Big 12 and then being invited, being approved, and accepting that approval, the other leagues and the remaining Big 12 teams have been crisscrossing in communication and looking for answers to the future. The Athletic is reporting that one answer may be the rest of the Power Five schools minus the remaining Big 12 schools ganging together.
ACC
Jim Phillips is taking a big role as he has been named to the NCAA Constitutional
The Athletic reported on Saturday morning that 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 told The Athletic. He also made it clear in his conversation with the online sports/news website, that there’s “nothing to report on this specific matter at this time.”
Matt Fortuna of The Athletic reported that an implementation committee had been formed among the three conferences to further study such an alliance. Fortuna, who regularly covers Notre Dame and the Big Ten reported further that the ACC representatives on the committee are Clemson AD Dan Radakovich, North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham and Virginia AD Carla Williams.
Now The Athletic insinuates that the Big 12 schools would not be a part of this. As Fortuna wrote:
While this alliance would presumably mean Power 5 leagues will not look to poach Big 12 members and helps keep the eight members together, this is not a good development for Bowlsby. The Big 12 could focus its efforts on expansion going forward, but trying to align with a Power 5 league was considered a preferable possibility.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
If this were chess, Bowlsby may be in checkmate.
Olson was also the first to report nearly a week and a half ago that Kliavkoff was meeting with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby. That meeting as Pokes Report first reported went for two days and also supposedly involved talks of a scheduling alliance that could progress into a merger. Again, nothing concrete coming out of the meeting that Bowlsby briefed his school’s CEOs on the day following.
Okay, to sum this up. The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 looking to counter the move the SEC made of adding Texas and Oklahoma is looking to combine forces in some fashion. Earlier this week, quietly the NCAA announced a constitution committee with the hopes of a new proposed governance format. If that were to come to pass then an alliance of the three conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12) could be the source of the most power and influence with 41 votes to 16 over the SEC. The Big 12 brings eight votes.
Fortuna reports that ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, one of the 23 members of that NCAA Constitution Committee told his athletic directors Phillips, that strength comes in numbers, not in one conference stacking the deck. This is where the real difference could come for these three conferences.
