Rumors of college football conference-switching dominated the offseason. And those rumors have continued into the regular season as well. There has been speculation that Oregon and Washington could leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 10 soon. However, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff isn't worried, per The Athletic.
“Listen, I think if schools would have left for the Big Ten they would have left already,” Kliavkoff said. “I don’t feel any sense of urgency at this point. No one’s going anywhere, we’re all together, we’re focused on doing this. … We have runway to do it right, as opposed to doing it quickly.”
USC and UCLA's departure from to the Big 10 has sparked rumors that other schools could follow. Part of the Pac-12's uncertainty stems from TV contracts. The conference is reportedly working on TV deals with ESPN and will also attempt to strike deals with streaming services.
As aforementioned, rumors have run rampant over the past year in reference to the Pac-12. But George Kliavkoff has remained confident even with the numerous whispers.
“It’s now almost become a running joke in our board meetings: What’s the latest nonsense that someone has thrown against the wall and see if someone will report.”
Losing Oregon and/or Washington would be detrimental to the Pac-12. But Kliavkoff doesn't anticipate them going anywhere. It is possible that he's simply putting up a confident front. However, the Pac-12 commissioner seems genuinely relaxed amid the surrounding rumors.
We will continue to monitor updates on the Pac-12 as they are made available.
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