Pac-12 merger with American Athletic Conference could be an option
On Friday we learned of the hiring of Oliver Luck by the remaining Pac-12 schools as a consultant.
The former West Virginia athletic director and commissioner of the XFL is now figuring out what the next move is for the Pac-12 programs. There was a thought that Stanford and Cal could be invited to the ACC, but unfortunately for them they came up one vote short. There were also discussions of independence for Stanford, but based on recent reports the hiring of Luck has regenerated the Pac-12 expansion talks.
Luck is renowned for his savvy and his connections in the industry, and is currently in the process of figuring out the best options for the conference and also determining if there is a media rights deal out there for them. The belief is that the conference could merge with the American Athletic Conference, and Stanford would play a certain set of programs according to media consultant Jim Williams.
It has become abundantly clear that if there is a merger with either one of the Group of 5 conferences, not only will they have a decent chance of keeping Power status but also Stanford would be the face of the conference.
