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Posted: 4:26 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, 2013
Big 12 exploring alliance with ACC, two other leagues

By Kirk Bohls
American-Statesman Staff
The Big 12 is actively exploring a possible alliance with the Atlantic Coast Conference and two other unspecified leagues for purposes of scheduling and marketing and possibly even television partnerships in a move that could preclude those leagues from further expansion.
"We’ve had conversations with three other leagues," Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told the American-Statesman on Friday afternoon. "The ACC is one of them. It’s a process of discovery that would provide some of the benefits of larger membership without actually adding members."
Bowlsby declined to name the other two leagues, but the Pac-12 Conference is presumed to be one of them because that 12-team league is landlocked with the Big 12 to its east, which makes Pac-12 expansion with like major-college institutions more geographically prohibitive.
Bowlsby said the topic would probably be discussed during the two-day meetings of the Big 12 athletic directors that begin Monday in Grapevine but stressed that "certainly nothing is imminent" about a potential alliance.
Such a partnership would include football and basketball but could be expanded to other sports as well. The agreement could also involve participation between the leagues in bowl games to "share post-season inventory, allowing us more flexibility."
"It’s purely exploratory," Bowlsby said, but added that the involved leagues have had "multiple discussions" about it.
Bowlsby said the potential move should not be interpreted as a precursor to future expansion in light of the SEC’s additions of Texas A&M and Missouri and the Big Ten’s more recent move to invite Maryland from the ACC and Rutgers from the Big Ten.
"If anything, it’s the opposite," Bowlsby said. "You can begin to get some advantages without taking on any of the disadvantages (of expansion). It’s one option that allows benefits. It’s kind of like friends with benefits. I
ACC commissioner John Swofford could not be reached for comment.

So I'm guessing we are screwed.... Unless we are that other league but know chuck neinas...

The last time this happened the Big8 stole 4 SWC teams...

B12 is trying to avoid adding which they know will bring their $ / school down.

there may be no ACC to merge with in about 45 days

yeah reports of these wild alliances are generally a sign of desperation by somebody

GRGB wrote:The last time this happened the Big8 stole 4 SWC teams...

The Big 8 "stole" nothing. The Big 8 showed up at DFW, even to the end, thinking they were merging with the entire SWC. It was the University of Texas that orchestrated, instead, that only four SWC schools were present.

yeah that's not the full story and who the hell could blame any big time conference from wanting to drop at a minimum SMU and Rice for having their heads up their [deleted]. SMU, TCU, and Rice had not done a single thing to build their athletic program in decades. Look in the mirror and realize that it was those schools that failed to realize the value of membership in a conference that was nationally prominent. They sure realized it later. Why weren't all these fabulous infrastructure improvements considered before the split-those schools were piggy-backing off the state schools. Just the truth. Plus, nobody could stand Ken Pye nor his naive and Pollyana vision for College Football

This is so that the Big XII can find out secrets from the ACC before taking FSU, GT and Clemson (or VT). I can hear them now. We explored a partnership, and we found that in reality the only thing that really made sense was to add these three schools to our conference. The primary thing that they'll be exploring is whether VT or Clemson will be their target. WVU would probably want VT.

EastStang wrote:This is so that the Big XII can find out secrets from the ACC before taking FSU, GT and Clemson (or VT). I can hear them now. We explored a partnership, and we found that in reality the only thing that really made sense was to add these three schools to our conference. The primary thing that they'll be exploring is whether VT or Clemson will be their target. WVU would probably want VT.

Why wouldn't they take all 4? Only thing is, if they start pursuing VT, that might force the SEC's hand on them. Also, remember the unique relationship that VT and UVA have- politically, they're tied at the hip ever since UVA got them in the ACC over Syracuse in '03, so they may not be able to leave UVA in a bind now.

Big 10 and SEC are solid as is the PAC. Big XII and ACC are the 2 conferences trying to hold it together, but the Big 10 holds the key to future moves. It's already out that they have approached UNC, Ga Tech and Virginia as part of expanding their footprint into the southeast and if they do, I would expect the SEC to follow suit.

PAC already flirted with Texas and OU along with TTech and OSU. I think we are headed for 4 superconferences and the only question is whether the Big XII or ACC survives.

Big 12 sees the writing on the wall. Whorn and Ol Deloss is gonna have to swallow his pride sooner or later. (no pun intended)

This makes no sense. What's the alliance? Scheduling? They don't want to play more BCS teams, they want to play more HOME games.

See SEC (average 7.5 home games per year and only 3.5 road - neutrals for several. See atm: 8 home 4 road.)

You don't get that if you play OTHER bcs team in your non-conference.

This is bs.

Charleston Pony wrote:Big 10 and SEC are solid as is the PAC. Big XII and ACC are the 2 conferences trying to hold it together, but the Big 10 holds the key to future moves. It's already out that they have approached UNC, Ga Tech and Virginia as part of expanding their footprint into the southeast and if they do, I would expect the SEC to follow suit.

PAC already flirted with Texas and OU along with TTech and OSU. I think we are headed for 4 superconferences and the only question is whether the Big XII or ACC survives.

B12 is by far more stable than ACC. OU and TEXAS are 10x better than any ACC team. Only if FSU gets better is there a rival. Certainly not over the last 6-7 years. The ACC ranked WORSE in FB than the BigEast last year(2011) and MWC. If money is in FB, then B12 will survive IF OU / TX are together for the long hall...