College football expansion: 2 Pac-12 schools looking into Big 12 move, per report

Update (Aug. 28): It now appears the ACC is moving to make a decision on adding these schools, with a vote expected to come in the next day or two

It appears the ACC has some new competition if it wants to add Cal and Stanford as those schools are now looking into the possibility of joining the Big 12 instead next season as the college football conference realignment process rolls along into its next phase, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Expansion: What schools could move next?

Big 12 enters the fray

News of the Big 12's interest in the schools comes as both Stanford and Cal remain in talks with the ACC about a potential move there, with negotiations focused on how to distribute the additional revenue that would come from the decision.

But should those talks not come through, Cal and Stanford are interested in a backup plan to ensure they land in a Power Five conference going forward.

The schools are also considering an attempt to bring what would be the other two remaining Pac-12 members, Oregon State and Washington State, with them to the Big 12 if they can. Should that plan come to fruition, the Pac-12 would cease to exist.

Thanks in large part to the Big 12, which was very active on the realignment front this offseason, voting to add Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah from the Pac-12 to its membership starting in the 2024 college football season. That's in addition to the bombshell moves of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington to the Big Ten in 2024.

Where the ACC stands

ACC members carried out a straw poll in recent weeks about adding any new members with that vote falling one shy of the 75 percent threshold that would be required in a formal vote to make any additions to the conference.

More: Dubya, Condi Rice lobbying ACC in expansion diplomacy

Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, and NC State were against the move. If one of those schools were to change their mind in an official decision, then the ACC would be able to go ahead with any prospective additions.

A move for Cal and Stanford would be a life-saver for both schools, which are looking for a solution in time for the 2024 season after watching the Pac-12 get decimated by the latest wave of conference realignment.

(Chronicle)

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