The Pac-12, Big Ten and Atlantic Coast conferences are nearing an agreement to join forces to map the future of college sports, and an announcement could come as early as next week, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed to The Times.
The impending alliance, first reported by The Athletic, comes in response to the Southeastern Conference’s move to add the Big 12 Conference’s two powerhouse programs, Texas and Oklahoma. Fear quickly set in that the SEC’s bold strike to move to 16 teams would center too much influence in one of the “Power Five” league and lead to a wave of realignment similar to a decade ago.