ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 form alliance for athletics, scheduling

The Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference and the Pacific 12 Conference have announced they are forming an alliance.

News of the alliance comes a month after the University of Oklahoma and University of Texas joined the Southeastern Conference. They are set to join the conference in 2025.

The conferences said in a news release that they came together to focus on the future of college athletics and scheduling.

According to the Associated Press, there had been discussions by the three conferences for weeks, but they made the news official on Tuesday.

Conference officials said the alliance of 41 universities "will be guided in all cases by a commitment to, and prioritization of, supporting student-athlete well-being, academic and athletic opportunities, experiences and diverse educational programming."

"Today is a special day," Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said during a live news conference.

According to the news release, the conference officials said one of the main points of the alliance between the conferences, would be to focus on a scheduling alliance among football and men’s and women’s basketball "to create new inter-conference games, enhance opportunities for student-athletes, and optimize the college athletics experience for both student-athletes and fans across the country."

The conference said athletic directors representing the three conferences would oversee the scheduling component of the alliance.

"The scheduling alliance will begin as soon as practical while honoring current contractual obligations," conference officials said. "All three leagues and their respective institutions understand that scheduling decisions will be an evolutionary process given current scheduling commitments."

For football, the conferences said historic rivalries will be honored, it could also lead to nonconference football games, which would be lucrative when it comes to television deals, the AP reported.