Reasons why the PAC-12, Big Ten, and ACC alliance will not work

The PAC-12, ACC, and Big Ten announced officially their alliance with not many specific details about future scheduling and without a legally binding contract between the three conferences.

There was much hope and hype about news that the Big Ten, PAC-12, and ACC was holding a press conference to announce their alliance between the three Power Five conferences.

There were reports that all three conferences in football would possibly move to an eight-game conference schedule with two of each team’s potential four non-conference games be between another team from another conference in the three-team alliance.

In men’s and women’s college basketball, fans and alums of the institutions in the three conferences were hoping for a challenge and or multiple team event between the three conferences similar to the ACC/Big Ten challenge to be announced as early as the 2022-23 season. However, the press conference left more questions than answers.

The news conference began with each of the commissioners giving their opening statements and comments about their newly formed alliance. They began talking about shared values and interests among the 40 plus institutions of the PAC-12, Big Ten, and ACC conferences.

They talked broadly about the possibility of scheduling contests between the three conferences among football, men’s and women’s basketball, and Olympic sports but there were no details on how that would work and there were no announcements of any future scheduling of games and contests between the three conferences that have not already be announced and previously scheduled. They spoke on other topics and talked more broadly and specifically about ideas, concepts, and common beliefs among the three conferences.

Each of the three commissioners varied slightly with their comments but they were for the most part, in agreement at the news conference.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren spoke about a strong alliance to work with each of the other two conferences through the turbulences that are occurring in college athletics. The PAC-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff talked about critical constants and spoke about the fans and alumni of their institutions.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips spoke like the other two commissioners about the alliance and the hope and excitement they have for the future of the alliance and that no final decision has been officially made about the expansion of the college football playoffs. All three commissioners were asked questions from reporters but did not expand and or give special details on how the alliance with official work moving forward.

They were asked about the rumor of the three conferences going to eight conference games in football to allow the three conferences to play one another in non-conference play and only the PAC-12 commissioner gave an answer that they were considering it in the near future but no plans to do so next season or the season after.

The only question that was asked that two of the three commissioners definitely agreed on is that they support expansion of the college football playoff system. With that all being said, let’s take a look at the reasons why this alliance is doomed to fail.