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Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby met with new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff on Tuesday and Wednesday, multiple sources told The Athletic.
Their meeting is expected to be a key first step in discussions on whether the two conferences would benefit from strategic collaboration during the new phase of college sports realignment.
Kliavkoff was not available for comment. Bowlsby and the Big 12 declined to comment.
Discussions about a pact between the two could go in several different directions. One option would be a planning alliance between Big 12 and Pac-12 members. Bowlsby acknowledged the possibility Monday when he appeared at a meeting of the Texas Senate Committee on the Future of College Sports in Texas. Another possibility is to continue to merge with another conference.
“I think there are options for us to partner with other conferences,” Bowlsby said Monday. “There may be merger opportunities. There may be opportunities to add members. There may be other opportunities that are currently unanticipated.
Another possible solution Bowlsby proposed when he appeared before the committee in Austin on Monday would be for the Big 12 to work with another conference to aggregate their negotiating rights for the next televised deal.
“At this point all the options are on the table and nothing is a bad option,” a Big 12 source said. “We have to explore everything now. It’s not that we’re in panic mode, but let’s keep talking and keep finding out what’s going on.
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