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The future of the Pac-12 conference continues to be a hot topic of discussion. The conference has failed to negotiate a new media deal and with 10 members leaving for the Big 12 and the Big Ten next season. The chances of the century-old conference dissolving are slowly becoming more and more a reality.
The final straw for the Pac-12 was drawn when Stanford and California decided to leave as well for the ACC. Now, there have been talks about the conference making a possible merger with Mountain West.
Will Mountain West merge with Pac-12?
While it is still not official, many believe that this course of action would be the best decision at the moment for the disintegrating Pac-12. Geographically, it makes sense as these two conferences are in close proximity to each other.
Apart from this, there have been reports about Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez already engaging in talks with OSU and WSU.
There were also talks about the possibility of the Pac-12 adding Mountain West programs to revive the conference. However, given the fact that each team would have to pay a $34 million buyout, it seems highly unlikely that the programs would be interested in going down such an expensive road.
Earlier, the AAC also had shown interest in acquiring the remaining programs in the conference. However, they brought this idea to a halt after only OSU and WSU remained.
Possible course of action for George Kliavkoff
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff has an arduous task ahead of him. The situation of the Pac-12 conference is critical, and he has to move quickly with whatever decision comes into play.
Amidst this uncertainty, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported about the Mountain West and the Pac-12 coming up with a system of relegation and promotion just like in the English Premier League. According to this system, two teams every year or two would either be promoted to the Pac-12 or relegated to the Mountain West.
In this way, both the conferences can keep their individual identity while also engaging in a collaborative system. Apart from this, Oregon State and Washington State have also talked about their vision of rebuilding the dying conference.
Whatever the decision may be, it needs to be a creative one so as to not lose its value.
