Three major college sports conferences — Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12 — announced an alliance Tuesday that is being touted as the “future evolution of college athletics.”
The partnership bringing together 41 universities has received the unanimous support of presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors. The three conferences have agreed to work together on a series of challenges facing college sports, including the mental and physical well-being of student-athletes, gender equity, diversity, and future structuring of the NCAA.
“We are creating opportunities for student-athletes to have elite competition and are taking the necessary steps to shape and stabilize the future of college athletics,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren stated.
The alliance comes in the wake of controversies plaguing college sports in the recent past. Beginning with disputes over name, image, and likeness rights and resulting in a Supreme Court decision to increase student-athlete compensation, this has been a year of “seismic shifts,” Warren told ESPN.
What Comes Next
Warren dismissed claims that the coalition was formed to counter the growing power of the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC). Last month, Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC to make it the first 16-team superconference.
Warren also assured that student-athletes will remain the “focal point” in this alliance. Future scheduling will allow for exciting new competitive opportunities extending coast-to-coast and across all time zones.
Athletic directors representing the three leagues will oversee the scheduling component of the alliance. The three conferences will start working on the schedule for football and women’s and men’s basketball “as soon as practical while honoring current contractual obligations.”
The alliance will also investigate Olympic sports programs to “forge additional attractive and meaningful rivalries.”
