Big 12, Pac 12 meeting to discuss alliance, merger possibility - Report

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Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby will meet with Pac-12 commissioner George Kilavkoff on Tuesday to discuss a potential relationship between the two conferences according to a report by Max Olson of The Athletic.  

The news comes a day after Bowlsby and representatives from Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech — the Texas programs remaining in the the Big 12 — testified in front of members of The Texas Senate regarding the on-going saga around the departure by the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma to the SEC.  

Speculation has led to the belief that the Pac 12 could eventually be subject to further realignment in major college athletics as several programs have been discussed as options for addition to the B1G. Kilavkoff, who took over as the Pac-12 commissioner this year, has stated there would be opportunities to look at regarding expansion for the conference based on the West Coast.

The eight remaining members of the Big 12 conference have been encouraged to stick together by leadership in the league to ultimately force Texas and Oklahoma to each pay a reported $80 million buyout to make the move to the SEC by 2025. 

If done correctly, a merger with the Pac 12 could potentially force the two institutions to pay the buyout while each of the eight remaining would have a landing spot in a major conference.