Report: Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC alliance imminent

The Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC are expected to formally announce their alignment Tuesday, sources told The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach.

The alignment will tackle the College Football Playoff expansion proposal, NCAA governance, and scheduling.

An agreement could see each team in the three conferences play one opponent from each of the other two leagues annually, according to Yahoo's Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel. In this case, the Big Ten and Pac-12 could consider dropping the number of conference games from nine to eight to accommodate the non-conference games.

Administrators in the three conferences feel strongly that a CFP expansion shouldn't happen until 2026, which is when the current contract with ESPN ends, Auerbach adds. The impending alliance is fueled by concerns that ESPN has a stronghold over college football.

The conferences appear in favor of a 12-team CFP model but they want more input on the format, Thamel and Wetzel add. Athletic directors in the Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC are reportedly concerned after the subgroup that submitted the proposal did not approach representatives from the three leagues about potential expansion.

The subgroup consists of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick.

Reports of an alliance between the Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC broke after Oklahoma and Texas agreed to join the SEC once their grants of media rights expire in 2025.