Can the ACC save Pac-12 teams? Introducing the APAC, an intriguing new conference idea
More conference realignment talk. Who’s surprised?
While we are currently in a slow part of the offseason for college football, waiting for spring practices to start up in the next couple of weeks, the Pac-12 is making a lot of news off the field when it comes to a potential media rights deal. We’ve covered the happenings of this a lot at Ducks Wire, looking at the potential ramifications should Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff prove unable to land a contract with a new partner, which could ultimately lead to a number of teams leaving for a new league — much like USC and UCLA did a year ago — and killing the Pac-12 as we know it.
A lot of ideas have been thrown out over the past several weeks: Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten, the “four corner” schools to the Big 12, and a merger between the Mountain West and Pac-12. All of that is still possible down the road. However, another idea has started to pick up steam, and according to Forbes, it has been discussed by the commissioners and conferences involved.
The idea is that the Pac-12 and ACC could potentially merge and form a “coastal conference” that could ultimately be as powerful and robust as what the SEC and Big Ten are looking to build. The two conferences were already in discussions a summer ago about an alliance of scheduling in football, basketball, and other Olympic sports, but a deal was unable to come to fruition.
However, according to Forbes, this idea has been brought back up by some decision-makers in the ACC, and it could be picking up steam.
It was actually the ACC and more to the point the University of North Carolina that brought up the idea. Andrew Carter of The News & Observer, last summer reported that university leadership at North Carolina floated the idea of a “super conference” between the ACC and Pac-12.
“Should we explore a partnership with the Big 12 or Pac 12[?]” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham texted university chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz.
“We could have a super conference both athletically and academically,” Guskiewicz responded. “Probably would need to be called the Atlantic-Pacific Athletic Conference (APAC). Maybe that’s crazy, but if it would get us a better TV deal, it may be worth considering,” he continued.
There remains an open channel between the ACC and The Pac-12 about ways they can work together in the future. Merger talks are not a dream or a media hyped story there is clearly room for some serious conversations.
While this may seem like a pipe dream, there is reportedly some buzz generating for the potential merger. Not only would it help save face for the Pac-12 after a tough negotiating cycle in hopes of a new TV deal, but it would also keep a lot of the rivalry schools together, rather than seeing schools like Oregon/Oregon State and Washington/Washington State break into new conferences.
More than that, it would be the biggest conference in the country — 26 teams across all four time zones — with historical success in all major sports.
“That is a mega-conference with the star power and the media markets to land a big media deal,” wrote Forbes. “This would take four or five years to work out, but it would be time well spent if it could be pulled off.”
The timeline is where things get tricky. With Kliavkoff working hard to find a new media partner in the coming weeks or months, the biggest obstacle may be convincing current members of the Pac-12 to stay put for the next 4-5 years with hopes of this ACC/APAC merger taking place in the future. It may hurt them financially in the short term, but could be massively beneficial in the long run.
“This is a very ambitious plan, and many things have to go right a Pac 12 and ACC merger, but key people on both sides think that it is worth exploring,” Forbes wrote. “So, Pac-12 needs to sign a new media deal and start being creative with the ACC to see what comes next for both leagues.”
If all goes right, it could lead to the biggest conference in the nation, and one that has some real firepower capable of competing with the likes of the Big Ten or SEC. Here’s a look at the two-dozen teams that would eventually make up the APAC.
Arizona Wildcats
Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Elite Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Burgeoning Football Program
No. 64 Media Market
Arizona State Sun Devils
Michael Chow-Arizona Republic
What They Bring to the Table
Burgeoning Football Program
Historically great Olympic Sports
No. 11 Media Market
Boston College Eagles
Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
A Historic Academic Institution
Historically Great Ice Hockey
Decent Football (5 Bowl Games in Last 10 Years)
No. 10 Media Market
California Golden Bears
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
No. 6 Media Market
Historically Good Football
Clemson Tigers
What They Bring to the Table
Elite Football Program
Great Men’s Soccer
No. 41 Media Market
Colorado Buffaloes
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Good Football
Burgeoning Football Program
No. 18 Media Market
Duke Blue Devils
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Elite Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Great Lacrosse
No. 27 Media Market
Florida State Seminoles
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historic/Current Football Success
Great Track and Field Program
No. 118 Media Market
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Good Football Program
Good Track and Field
No. 11 Media Market
Louisville Cardinals
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Really Solid Football Program
No. 55 Media Market
Miami Hurricanes
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Elite Football Program
Solid Men’s and Women’s Basketball
No. 19 Media Market
North Carolina Tar Heels
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Elite Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Great Football Program
Michael Jordan Brand
No. 27 Media Market
North Carolina State WolfPack
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Men’s Basketball
Really Solid Football Program
No. 27 Media Market
Oregon Ducks
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Football Program
Really Solid Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Nike
No. 129 Media Market
Oregon State Beavers
What They Bring to the Table
Elite Baseball
Historically Good Football
Historically Solid Men’s and Women’s Basketball
No. 129 Media Market
Pittsburgh Panthers
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Football Program
No. 24 Media Market
San Diego State Aztecs
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Good Football
Historically Good Baseball
Historically Good Basketball
No. 29 Media Market
Note: SDSU is not currently part of the Pac-12, but there are discussions about them being added to the conference as part of an expansion in the coming years, so they make the cut for the APAC merger.
SMU Mustangs
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Good Golf
Solid Football and Basketball Programs
No. 6 Media Market
Note: SMU is not currently part of the Pac-12, but there are discussions about them being added to the conference as part of an expansion in the coming years, so they make the cut for the APAC merger.
Stanford Cardinal
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Elite Academics
Historically Great Football Program
Historically Elite Olympic Sports
Elite Women’s Basketball
No. 7 Media Market
Syracuse Orange
Albert Cesare/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Elite Basketball
Great Lacrosse Program
No. 90 Media Market
Utah Utes
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Great Football Program
Great Men’s and Women’s Basketball Programs
No. 31 Media Market
Virginia Cavaliers
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Basketball Program
Historically Good Baseball Program
Solid Football Program
No. 204 Media Market
Virginia Tech Hokies
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Good Track and Field
Solid Football Program
No. 75 Media Market
Wake Forrest Deamon Deacons
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Golf Program
Good Football Program
No. 48 Media Market
Washington Huskies
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Historically Great Football Program
Historically Good Men’s and Women’s Basketball Programs
No. 14 Media Market
Washington State Cougars
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
What They Bring to the Table
Solid Football Programs
Decent Basketball Programs
No. 77 Media Market
