The Pac-12 is not going to pursue growth “right now,” the convention mentioned Thursday, ending hypothesis about whether or not the 12-team league may attempt to add any of the eight faculties that can stay within the Huge 12 following the eventual departures of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC.
The unanimous choice got here simply days after the Pac-12, Huge Ten and ACC introduced an alliance that in the end goals to “stabilize a risky atmosphere” all through faculty athletics by collaborating on weighty points going through the trade and agreeing to create a future scheduling partnership.
The Pac-12’s choice is a lift to the Huge 12’s probabilities of including groups and remaining a viable convention, however the actuality stays that the Huge 12 should add faculties from the Group of 5 conferences as a way to develop into complete once more after Texas and OU go away.
“Stability was vital to us,” Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff informed ESPN on Thursday. “We expect that instability and vibration throughout faculty athletics will not be good for the trade. It is why, No. 1, we got here to the conclusion that we got here to, and No. 2, why we did it so rapidly.
“Bear in mind, it is solely about 5 weeks in the past that the Texas and Oklahoma information broke. We labored rapidly as a result of we thought stability was vital. We thought this announcement, together with the acknowledgement [Tuesday] from each Jim [Phillips] and Kevin [Warren] that they’re proud of the place they’re of their present membership provides stability again into the system.”
Sources within the Pac-12 informed ESPN that the convention had an growth working group that included athletic administrators and presidents and chancellors who explored standards and advantages for a full membership, together with probably including faculties in simply soccer and males’s and girls’s basketball.
Whereas that group acknowledged a chance to broaden the geographic footprint into new markets, recruit gamers in their very own territory, and get publicity for the colleges in new time zones — all whereas contemplating tv rights — sources informed ESPN that there was a consensus that none of it added as much as what was higher than simply completed with the alliance.
The hope throughout the Pac-12 is that the partnership with the ACC and Huge Ten will permit the league to play throughout completely different time zones and kind new rivalries — all with out having to separate the income past the present 12 groups.
“We checked out one another among the many 12 and recommitted to what we’re doing, and we’re actually pleased the place we’re,” Kliavkoff mentioned, “and we expect we will thrive.”
Kliavkoff mentioned SEC commissioner Greg Sankey defined to him how Oklahoma and Texas approached the SEC about turning into members.
“Greg has acknowledged how this occurred and I consider him,” Kliavkoff mentioned. “I agree together with his assertion that if Texas and Oklahoma would have known as one of many different Energy 5 conferences, we might have taken the decision and acted the identical approach he did.”
The Pac-12’s choice is aimed toward stabilizing realignment, however the way forward for the Huge 12 stays a query.
If the Huge 12 is ready to lure in beneficial applications — most definitely from the American Athletic Convention — and stay a Energy 5 entity, the general panorama would stay comparatively steady.
If the AAC is ready to maintain the higher hand, although, and lure Huge 12 faculties to make a case to develop into a Energy 5 league, it may create one other tremor that may trigger the Pac-12 to rethink its place.
For now, the principle purpose is stability.
“The faster the soundness, the higher,” Kliavkoff mentioned.