Could ACC, Pac-12 alliance save conference realignment?

Two summers ago, commissioners from the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 gathered on a Zoom call to announce the formation of an alliance. With the SEC poaching Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12, the trio of conferences felt the need to pushback on the aggression.

Kevin Warren ultimately turned on his two peers, grabbing the Pac-12’s prized schools USC and UCLA. But commissioners George Kliavkoff and Jim Phillips have remained in communication throughout the twists and turns of the last 12 months.

Kliavkoff delivered an underwhelming Apple TV deal to his Pac-12 presidents earlier this week. The move came days after the Big 12 and Brett Yormark scooped up Colorado. Arizona appeared ready to follow the Buffs to a new conference up until Friday morning. According to multiple reports, the Pac-12 is in a meeting this morning to discuss a Grant of Rights.

A source has indicated to On3 in the last 24 hours there have been talks between the ACC and Pac-12. Nothing is formalized, but the option of a conference spanning from coast to coast is attractive.

The Pac-12’s TV deal with Apple would be signally more appealing if the ACC could reopen TV negotiations with ESPN. It would ensure Pac-12 schools would be viewed on linear. And if Oregon and Washington stay put, not leaving for the Big Ten, could a new contract satisfy Florida State?

“If we can help support the Pac-12, I’m all for it,” one ACC athletic director told On3, “college athletics needs the West Coast league.”

Yet, a former ACC athletic director told On3 on Friday morning there was no market for it, with no appropriate distribution available. They also did not disqualify that discussions are happening.

Phillips, the former Northwestern athletic director, talked expansion at last week’s ACC Media Days in Charlotte.

“The ACC has been and remains highly engaged in looking at anything that makes us a better and stronger conference,” he said. “We’ve spent considerable time on expansion to see if there is anything that fits. We have a tremendous group of institutions but if there was something that made us better, we would absolutely be open to it.”

– Eric Prisbell contributed to this story.