The shockwaves caused by the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC from the Big 12 shocked the sport and inspired many theories about the future.
Is there a full-blown realignment possible? What teams or leagues might be available for poaching? What would be the impact of these moves on the next round in media rights negotiations? While the Texas/OU addition has undoubtedly strengthened and weakened Big 12, what will the response be from the three Power 5 leagues?
Aug. 13 provided some clues. ESPN and The Athletic reported that the ACC and Big Ten had been in discussions about forming an alliance to address key issues within the sport. The long-term consequences could be enormous, but the immediate concern seems to be finding common ground in the emerging power struggle between the SEC (and everyone else)
ESPN's AD stated that "This is about determining if there's philosophical alignment." "At this stage, there is no financial component."
Another AD was added: "No one's ripping up scheduling contracts at the moment."
Although the 41 schools in the three conferences (including Notre Dame which is an ACC member in all other sports except football), share some similarities and have partnered before, large-scale agreements can be difficult to reach. Even within conference members, different philosophies can exist, as evidenced by the frustration expressed by several Big Ten schools when the league decided not to play the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
The NCAA's role in governing the NCAA is now in doubt following the Supreme Court's decision in NCAA v. Alston, in which Justice Brett Kavanaugh opened up the door for future antitrust litigation against it. There's a tacit understanding that the Big Ten and ACC need to find common ground with the SEC or cede significant political clout. Major issues such as player compensation, image and likeness (NIL), and playoff expansion are all on the horizon.
Sources claim that all three leagues started looking at countermoves to the SEC's additions of Texas and Oklahoma. This led to a formal committee being formed to examine an alliance that included the commissioners from the ACC and Big Ten, Pac-12 and several ADs from each league. Multiple administrators who have direct knowledge of the talks say that members of that committee will hold a telephone call to decide the language of a formal announcement.
The league commissioners have been meeting for weeks with presidents and athletic directors of the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 to discuss "philosophical issues" regarding alignment. ESPN interviewed sources from the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 to learn more about the alliance and answer key questions.
These three leagues are discussing an alliance.
The Rose Bowl has been a long-standing partnership between the Big Ten and Pac-12. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
This reasoning is two-pronged and addresses both practical and philosophical areas. Sources within the three leagues see an alliance as an option to expansion. They would rather work together than risking each other's loss by poaching.
Although the SEC's actions sparked and accelerated discussions about an alliance, the ACC and Big Ten recognize that there are many significant changes in the sport. This includes NCAA governance and whether a governing board will exist in the near future.
"All the banter and talk about NCAA structure and governance, having 41 institutional that have similar values would really be important," said a former athletic director in one league.
Source familiar with the talks said: "It allows you to focus on points of view until the end that there may more effectiveness for 41, to the extent they share a vision for what college sports should look like."
There are also commonalities between the three leagues. The Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC have been long-standing partners in the Rose Bowl. Since 1999, the ACC has held a basketball challenge with the Big Ten. They are very similar in that 27 of them are members of Association of American Universities (a group of top research schools). According to US News' ranking of the best national universities, several universities are not AAU members like Notre Dame and Wake Forest.
The ACC shares some geography and natural rivalries with SEC, but the league overall is closer to the Pac-12 or Big Ten.
One source stated that structure among institutions in similar locations makes sense, even though the NCAA is uncertain and the SEC has been aggressive. This is a sensible way to proceed. What's the downside?
Numerous sources claim that there is no financial component to this alliance at the moment, although the political part is crucial. The NCAA's oversight role has almost disappeared, leaving a power vacuum within the sport. The three new commissioners -- Jim Phillips of the ACC, Kevin Warren from the Big Ten and George Kliavkoff from the Pac-12 -- aren't willing to give up all that ground to Greg Sankey or the SEC. They are trying to push back.
Is there a downside to this product?
The alliance's biggest problem may be what it does not include, namely money. The SEC could potentially double the annual revenue of either the ACC or Pac-12 by adding Texas and Oklahoma. This alliance seems unlikely to address this issue.
A source stated that they don't consider it a revenue play. It's valuable in the long-term, if you can improve the quality of your game. That will be recognized by the marketplace."
It is also unknown what the SEC will do in response to the alignment of the other leagues. This type of alliance could force the SEC to take more steps towards achieving the goal of creating super conferences with 24 teams each. One AD stated that even within his league, there is unlikely to be uniform agreement on all issues and that leagues should be prepared for "a lot more 8-6 votes." If this alliance creates a wedge between Ohio State and other Big Ten or Clemson, will that be enough to allow the SEC make another major move?
It's still speculation at this stage. It's about establishing whether the alliance can work. If any commissioners feel a significant backlash from their members, it's possible that the risks will quickly outweigh the potential rewards.
What would the main focus of the alliance be?
It is certain that football scheduling would play a part. The addition of attractive nonleague games can help in many ways, particularly for Pac-12 and Big Ten, which have media rights agreements that expire in 2023, 2024. In an expanded playoff system, teams could also benefit from the addition of marquee schedules. Schedules are set so far ahead of time that there is only so much flexibility. Although there are likely to be a few more league games, it is unlikely that any major changes will occur. The SEC's existing matchups with the SEC (Clemson, South Carolina, Florida State-Florida and Georgia Tech-Georgia) and the Big 12 (Iowa State) are not likely to change. One administrator stated that it was not a boycott.
The immediate problem to address is the expansion and administration of the College Football Playoff. In September, a 12-team plan, which was largely designed by Sankey, and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, will be up for a vote. Nearly all ESPN sources who spoke to the issue said that there is trepidation now about moving forward. They also stated that while the plan may ultimately pass, they want to "tap the brakes and better understand the impact of the plan on leagues following the additions of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC.
"You look back at all the great reasons people talked about why 8 didn't work, why 10, and all other things. You have to relook it and say, "All right, well, let this settle down, see where it is, and maybe come back to it in twelve months,"" said one veteran AD at one of the conference.
These three leagues could also come together to create an open bidding process for an expanded tournament that could be split between multiple media partners. This could be similar to professional league playoffs.
The bigger question for the alliance is, however, one of philosophy. Multiple administrators involved in discussions say that many schools are concerned about the future compensation for athletes due to the new name, image, and likeness rules. One AD pointed out that the SEC appears to have made its future plans known by adding Texas to the alliance. The immediate conversations between alliance members will focus on whether there is another way forward that remains true to the historical view of amateurism, both in the short- and long-term.
What does this all mean for the Big 12
One AD claims that the Big 12 is being overlooked because it was involved in the planning of the expansion of the 12-team playoffs. AP Photo/LM Otero
The Big 12 is still in purgatory. One source stated that the remaining teams in this league align more with the SEC philosophically. However, due to the already-strained relationship between Oklahoma and Texas, as well the limited revenue potential of these schools, there is little incentive for them to reach out. The alliance is primarily about philosophy. However, the ACC and Big Ten and Pac-12 have a strong academic profile and a wide range of Olympic sports. They don't overlap with universities like West Virginia or TCU.
A veteran administrator stated that the connective tissue was located between the Big 12 (and the SEC). They're the ones who play in the Sugar Bowl. However, the relationship between the SEC & the Big 12 has to be complicated."
According to one AD, the Big 12 is being excluded from the conversation in the most immediate sense because of its involvement in the 12-team expansion of the playoffs. Bob Bowlsby, the Big 12 commissioner, worked with Sankey and Swarbrick on the proposal. However, representatives from the Big Ten and ACC were not present in the meeting. The issue of playoff expansion is No. There's an impression that Bowlsby has already spoken.
What would an alliance do for these three leagues and how could it help them?
The addition of Texas to the SEC is widely considered the first step towards an even greater power play. Sankey, the man who created the expanded playoff proposal is already widely considered to be the most powerful person involved in college athletics. If necessary, a three-league alliance could push back against the SEC in key areas like the expanded playoff.
An AD from one of the three leagues stated that college football cannot be run all over the country, saying "We can't have it all run out the Southeast part"
The key question in the end will be about money. The Big Ten currently makes more than the ACC and Pac-12. With a new TV deal in 2023, these differences could get even greater. Are the Big Ten prepared to share some of the revenue in order to keep a strong power structure against the SEC? The ACC and Pac-12 administrators have some doubts, which would mean that the alliance provides incremental improvements for all parties, but not likely to provide significant changes.
If this is the first step towards a super league in which all three entities work together with shared revenue, then all bets will be off.
How does Notre Dame fit into the alliance?
The Irish are steadfast in their independence. Joe Robbins/Getty Images
It doesn't at this time -- and that's okay by Notre Dame. Despite being associated with the ACC in other sports than football, the Irish are determined to maintain their independence. If this alliance becomes more firmly established over time, it could force Notre Dame to act on multiple fronts.
One, the leagues include almost all of Notre Dame’s regular rivals -- USC Stanford, Michigan, and its five annual ACC game -- so either the alliance could allow Notre Dame to continue playing all those teams as a full member, or it could force the Irish to play too many games on their schedules that they are unable to be independent.
Another issue is that if college football's two major sources of political clout, and possibly playoff positioning, are in an SEC or a Big Ten/Pac-12/ACC partnership, independent life becomes impossible. No league has enough power to force Notre Dame to do anything it doesn't want, but if the alliance pushed the Irish to the side on scheduling, playoff positioning and TV revenue, this outlook could change.
Notre Dame, alongside Sankey, is a strong advocate for the 12-team playoff. If the ACC, Big Ten or Pac-12 decide to oppose the proposal, this could create an interesting dynamic in September.
This report was contributed by Andrea Adelson, ESPN.
