Big 12, Pac-12 commissioners meeting to discuss conference realignment

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is set to meet with new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff on Tuesday, according to The Athletic. The meeting between the two commissioners is believed be the first step in talks about how the two conferences could benefit from working together in college football’s next wave of realignment.

Discussions could go in a variety of directions. The two conferences could decide to enter into a scheduling alliance, which Bowlsby acknowledged as a possibility during his appearance Monday at the Texas Senate committee meeting on the future of college sports in the state.

Bowlsby is left trying to figure out the future of the Big 12 conference with Texas and Oklahoma off to the SEC, and Kliavkoff is tasked with keeping the Pac-12 relevant despite not sending a team to the College Football Playoff since 2017.

What Big 12, Pac-12 partnership could look like

Bowlsby is open to a variety of options for the Big 12 moving forward. His conference is estimating the loss of Texas and Oklahoma will cut 50% of the value of its next TV deal. One option would be to bring in some of the top teams from the Group of Five to fill out the conference. But that would not make up the necessary TV money.

Enter the Pac-12. With a new commissioner in Kliavkoff, the Pac-12 is could be a valuable partner. Partnering for a scheduling alliance is an idea. Another is a complete merger between the two conferences to compete with the SEC’s new mega-conference with its soon-to-be 16 teams.

The Big 12 and Pac-12 could also decide to work together on a TV deal. Bowlsby floated Monday that his conference could work with another to aggregate their negotiating rights for its next TV deal.

“I think there are options for us to partner with other conferences,” Bowlsby said Monday. “There may be opportunity for mergers. There may be opportunities to add members. There may be other opportunities that are currently unforeseen.”

No formal conversations, yet

The Athletic identified the meeting is also an opportunity for Bowlsby and Kliavkoff to just meet. The Pac-12 could want to evaluate what partnering with the Big 12 would actually be worth. Kliavkoff only officially started the job on July 1.

“We haven’t had formal conversations on candidate members,” Bowlsby said. “We think there’s a sequence at which we need to act, and that includes some of the collaborations that I mentioned earlier.”

At Pac-12 media days last week, Kliavkoff said that the conference has received “significant inbound interest” from schools seeking membership.

Most importantly for Bowlsby and Kliavkoff is making sure nobody comes in and poaches one of their institutions. If the Big 12 and Pac-12 can form a working partnership that pleases their members, it could be the key to becoming winners in the next wave of conference realignment.

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