On Tuesday afternoon, the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 conferences announced that they had agreed to form an alliance with each other.
The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 today announced an historic alliance that will bring 41 world-class institutions together on a collaborative approach surrounding the future evolution of college athletics and scheduling.https://t.co/djdQJKg4GN
— The ACC (@theACC) August 24, 2021
“The alliance – which was unanimously supported by the presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors at all 41 institutions – will be guided in all cases by a commitment to, and prioritization of, supporting student-athlete well-being, academic and athletic opportunities, experiences and diverse educational programming,” the conferences said in a release. “The three conferences are grounded in their support of broad-based athletic programs, the collegiate model and opportunities for student-athletes as part of the educational missions of the institutions.”
The forming of this alliance comes shortly after Texas and Oklahoma announced that they would be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC in a few years, which prompted rumors of different conference realignments from all around the nation.
“The alliance includes a scheduling component for football and women’s and men’s basketball designed to create new inter-conference games, enhance opportunities for student-athletes, and optimize the college athletics experience for both student-athletes and fans across the country.”
Scheduling is to be determined for the Alliance.@bigten commissioner Kevin Warren knows the people are in place to make it highly successful.
"We have some of the brightest minds in all of college athletics in our athletic departments."
Watch live โก๏ธ https://t.co/LUuVbqrXaJ pic.twitter.com/jltr4biCxc
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 24, 2021
As for those future matchups between the conferences, the release added that the scheduling “will begin as soon as practical while honoring current contractual obligations.” It also included that “a working group comprised of athletic directors representing the three conferences will oversee the scheduling component of the alliance, including determining the criteria upon which scheduling decisions will be made. All three leagues and their respective institutions understand that scheduling decisions will be an evolutionary process given current scheduling commitments.”
Asked the commissioners abt not having a contract in light of recent Big 12 situation. Jim Phillips: "It's about trust. We've looked each other in the eye and made an agreement…If (a signed contract) is what it takes to get something considerable done, then we've lost our way."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 24, 2021
B1Gโs Kevin Warren & Pac-12 commish George Kliavkoff each said their leagues will have to address whether to drop from 9 to 8 conference games because of the scheduling Alliance
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 24, 2021
As for the widely-discussed topic of the potential expansion of the College Football Playoff, Phillips said that the ACC is “not sure yet” where it stands on the topic.
