Will Pac-12 merge with the ACC? Big 12 poaching, TV deal delay, Colorado exit trigger domino effect for the FBS powerhouse 

The Pac-12 is currently dealing with a massive uphill climb if the conference wants to remain as part of the Power Five. With the Big 12 poaching and college football realignment seemingly killing the conference, things are looking mighty bleak for the "Conference of Champions".

However, one strategy to continue the conference at a high level is to possibly merge with the Atlantic Coast Conference. This could be a huge benefit to both conferences as they would get national exposure as they span from coast to coast.

This would also create a super-conference with so many programs together in a major conference.

This may seem like the best chance for a Pac-12 survival, otherwise, they may fall to the wayside and continue to have their programs picked off by other conferences.

How do the Big 12 poaching and Colorado leaving affect the Pac-12 TV deal?

The Big 12 poaching of the Colorado Buffaloes was a massive blow to any chance of a strong Pac-12 TV deal. Last season, we learned the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins are joining the Big Ten and Colorado would be one of the teams the Pac-12 built around.

It made sense with Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders becoming the new head coach of the program and definitely attract eyeballs.

However, earlier this week they announced a return to the Big 12 as Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark poached the program beginning in 2024. The Pac-12 TV deal they are under currently is set to expire on July 1, 2024, and Fox and ESPN do not seem to be willing to negotiate at the current price.

Without marquee college football programs, it is difficult to sell media rights to a company and expect a strong contract in terms of dollar figures. This TV deal is vital for attracting programs to the conference with promises of more eyeballs and growth in the future.

However, the "Conference of Champions" has now gotten one step closer to fading into the history books. While having the distinct advantage of Silicon Valley, with all its media and tech giants, finding a company to sell their media rights to should arguably be easy.

Commissioner George Kliavkoff has to come to terms with not expecting Big 12 money as the conference is nowhere as valuable in its current state.

The poaching of programs caused a massive blow to the conference but it has been far from the only reason they are in this position. Bad leadership and lack of evolving with the times have arguably just as much, if not more, to do with the current state of affairs.