On Tuesday afternoon, the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 conferences announced that they had agreed to form an alliance with each other.
“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.”
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.”
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.
It’s sounding like the ACC is going to be the 3rd wheel on a lousy ride.