Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 Announce Alliance

When the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas announced their intention to join the Southeastern Conference, those familiar with college sports knew it was just the first domino to fall. 

Already the most powerful conference in collegiate athletics, the SEC will become a “super league,” with the addition of the two powerhouse schools adding money and power to the country’s most prestigious conference. There was simply no way that the other Power 5 conferences were going to sit idly by without making moves themselves. 

Last week, The Athletic reported that the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 were close to forming an alliance. 

“Certainly money is important, but I’m not just talking about money. What institutions or what steps that we could take would bring value to our conference?” Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said Saturday. “I do think there are conferences out there that could bring value from a monetary standpoint, particularly speaking about our television contract and also from our television revenues, but you all know the importance to us and the Big Ten around the concept of like-minded institutions. The Big Ten really prides itself on being more than just an athletics conference.”

“If you look at that footprint of Pac 12, ACC, and the Big Ten, I think the number is 40 percent of the AAU (Association of American Universities) membership lies in those three conferences.”

The three conferences made the alliance official in a press release on Tuesday. 

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.

The alliance – which was unanimously supported by the presidents, chancellors and athletics 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 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 press release goes on to state that the three conferences will “remain competitors in every sense” but will collaborate on issues including social justice, gender equity, the future structure of the NCAA, and postseason championships and future formats.

The deal will create a new slate of games for football as well as men’s and women’s basketball between the three conferences “as soon as practical.”

“The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 recognize the unique environment and challenges currently facing intercollegiate athletics, and we are proud and confident in this timely and necessary alliance that brings together like-minded institutions and conferences focused on the overall educational missions of our preeminent institutions,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. “The alliance will ensure that the educational outcomes and experiences for student-athletes participating at the highest level of collegiate athletics will remain the driving factor in all decisions moving forward.”

“Student-athletes have been and will remain the focal point of the Big Ten, ACC and PAC-12 Conferences,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “Today, through this alliance, we furthered our commitment to our student-athletes by prioritizing our academics and athletics value systems. We are creating opportunities for student-athletes to have elite competition and are taking the necessary steps to shape and stabilize the future of college athletics.”

“The historic alliance announced today between the Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten is grounded in a commitment to our student-athletes,” said Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff. “We believe that collaborating together we are stronger in our commitment to addressing the broad issues and opportunities facing college athletics.”

RELATED: Texas And Oklahoma Move To SEC Reportedly ‘Almost Done’

Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.