Reasons why the PAC-12, Big Ten, and ACC alliance will not work
By Ryan Kay
One thing that was made clear is that all three commissioners are not opposed to expanding the college football playoffs but what happens once an agreement has been reached to expand the playoffs?
The one thing made perfectly clear from the press conference is that the ACC, Big Ten, and PAC-12 want a strong, collective voice when they meet as part of a scheduled Sept. 28 meeting and future meetings on expanding the college football playoffs to 12 teams. It appears that this alliance was made to form a pact to have these three conferences attempt to influence the process of possibly getting as many teams from the Big Ten, PAC-12, and ACC into future college football playoffs once it expands to 12 teams.
The SEC expanding to 16 schools in the near future with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC at minimum may command four teams from their conference to appear in an expanded 12 game college football playoffs.
The alliance of the PAC-12, ACC, and the Big Ten and the voting power among the three conferences in potential future voting for the expansion of college football makes the alliance somewhat powerful.
Three of the Power Five conferences voting together could sway the means on how and more importantly, the rule on the college football playoffs expanding to 12 teams.
However, if the voting occurs sooner than later and the alliance achieves its goal of influencing the expansion of the college football playoffs, then what more does the alliance achieve or do after that?
The answer is, not much. There has as mentioned already not much more that the alliance can and will do after they influence the expansion of the college football playoffs. Scheduling does not seem like a priority as discussed in the press conference.
Working on a new tv/media deal among the three conferences does not seem like a priority either or does not seem like it can be worked out with long contracts already in place like the one that the ACC is currently in. Lastly, the three conferences don’t appear to want to expand and compete with the soon-to-be 16-team SEC.
Regardless of when the conferences vote on the expansion of the college football playoffs, the alliance seems to not have much motivation and or drive to make the SEC feel as if the alliance stops the plans of the SEC from being the most powerful and influential conference in America.
College football drives the overall landscape of college athletics and the alliance seems to not have many viable long-term plans to stop the SEC from remaining to be the most impactful conference in the country.