ACC & Pac-12 in talks to form a "loose partnership"
The college football world is now on its toes waiting for the next domino to fall, as there is certainly more to come after the departure of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten.
The Pac-12 conference has been the center of attention as everyone tries to predict which of the options they will select to either stay afloat and add more teams, merge with another conference, or cease to end all together.
There have been rumors about practically every team including Stanford, who was linked to the Big Ten along with Oregon and Washington who applied, in regards to what their next move will be. There has also been the idea of the Big 12 poaching schools from the Pac-12, which would surely end the conference all together.
The latest report from CBS Sports has a new guest at the table that is also attempting to stay afloat and partner with the Pac-12, the ACC. CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd reported that the idea of forming a "loose partnership" that concludes the season with a conference title game in Las Vegas was proposed by the ACC.
Dodd explained the motivation for this move saying:
The concept, believed to have been proposed by the ACC, is seen as a way for the conferences' common rightsholder, ESPN, to increase the value of their current media rights contracts.
This move in theory may be centered around the Pac-12, but there is also a possibility that it would prevent schools like Clemson, Florida State, and Miami from jumping ship and joining the SEC.
Dodd also explained the immediate plans of the Pac-12 in terms of media rights saying:
On Tuesday, the league announced it was going to market early to negotiate the rights for its 10 remaining teams. The Pac-12's current contract with ESPN and Fox expires in 2024, though Fox isn't expected to be interested in Pac-12 rights going forward.
The efforts from the Pac-12 as of this past week have been stronger than any they have made in years, but it may be too little too late depending on how quickly the other conferences are to snatch up the remaining 10 teams.
