With the SEC gobbling up the top two programs in the Big 12 with the recent additions of Oklahoma and Texas, the landscape of the college sports landscape has shifted in a dramatic way. Rather than devolve into poaching the scraps of the Big 12, the Big Ten may be more interested in working out alternative plans with two other power conferences.
As reported on Friday by The Athletic and ESPN, the Big Ten is having discussions with the ACC and the Pac-12 to create a potential alliance. The alliance would potentially be focused on scheduling, which would be very interesting for college football. Of course, it could also be a boom for college basketball and other sports, but a college football scheduling alliance between the Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12 would lead to some very entertaining matchups if the three conferences can come together on a plan.
Noticeably absent, of course, is the Big 12. The future of the Big 12 looks gloomy at best, so it is understandable why the commissioners of the Big Ten (Kevin Warren), Pac-12 (George Kliavkoff), and ACC (Jim Phillips) would focus their energy on the future of their respective conferences as if the Big 12 is a non-factor.
For college football, this feels like a very good development, although it will surely be a complex process to work through. A two-conference scheduling alliance would work easily, especially between the Big Ten and ACC as both conferences have 14 members. The dream of an ACC-Big Ten Football Challenge could finally be realized. The Pac-12 has just 12 members, making a three-way scheduling alliance a bit more complicated. It could, potentially, leave multiple members of the Big Ten and ACC out of a rotation between the three conferences. Although, the teams not getting Pac-12 opponents could be paired up between the ACC and Big Ten to make things work.
With SEC expansion on the horizon, Big Ten should partner with ACC instead of expand
The concept of a Big Ten and Pac-12 scheduling alliance was once worked out during the last round of massive conference realignment, but the Pac-12 backed out of the plan.
A three-way power conference alliance could lead to increased media revenue streams as each conference would benefit from having more attractive non-conference matchups on the schedule. Imagine a Penn State schedule that would consist of the typical nine Big Ten opponents including annual matchups with Ohio State and Michigan and maybe a cross-division matchup with Wisconsin, Iowa, or Nebraska. Then add in non-conference matchups against Miami and USC, or Florida State and Washington, or Pittsburgh and Arizona State.
There are a lot of details for the Big Ten to sort through with the ACC and Pac-12, and perhaps this all ends up being nothing more than a pipe dream. But it is clear the three conferences are reacting to the latest developments in the SEC as the conversation about College Football Playoff expansion moves forward. Could expansion be scaled back with these three conferences uniting against the motives of the SEC?
For now, let your imagination run wild with the scheduling possibilities, but it may be best to keep your expectations in check.
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