Pac-12 commissioner fires back at the Big 12 over conference realignment talk
The Big 12 Conference went on the offensive shortly after it was revealed in June that UCLA and Southern California planned to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
There was a report from CBS Sports that the Big 12 was in “deep discussions” about adding four Pac-12 schools: Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Oregon and Washington were also being considered for Big 12 membership, that story said.
As Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said at last month’s football media days, “The Big 12 is open for business.”
That didn’t sit well with Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, who fired back at the Big 12 on Friday at his conference’s football media days in Los Angeles
“With respect to the Big 12 being open for business, I appreciate that,” Kliavkoff told reporters. “We haven’t decided if we’re going shopping there or not yet.”
Kliavkoff was later asked if the days of being collegial when it came to conference expansion were over. Kliavkoff answered that, and then asserted the Pac-12 had been attacked by the Big 12, which he said was “scared.”
“I hope they’re not over. But they’re certainly harmed,” Kliavkoff said. “That (shopping) remark was a reflection of the fact I’ve been spending four weeks trying to defend against grenades that have been lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12 trying to destabilize our remaining conference.
“I understand why they’re doing it, when you look at the relative media value between the two conferences. I get it, I get why they’re scared, why they’re trying to destabilize it. I was just tired of that.”
Kliavkoff delved into the “grenades” comment when he spoke with CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd.
It seems Pac-12 presidents, chancellors and athletic directors have been telling Kliavkoff each time they’re contacted by someone at a Big 12 school.
Kliavkoff said his cell phone is buzzing these days.
“It gets forwarded to me,” Kliavkoff told CBS Sports. “That’s a constant stream of nonsense. Let’s be very clear. No Pac-12 school is joining the Big 12.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 11:10 AM.
