Pac-12 Conference “not to pursue expansion of membership” for now

The Pac-12 Conference released a statement on Thursday announcing that it does not plan on expanding in the immediate future.

This comes just two days after conference commissioner George Kliavkoff announced that the conference would decide whether or not to expand by the end of the week.

All of this comes in the wake of Tuesday’s announcement of an alliance between the Pac-12, ACC, and Big Ten, a move done to counteract the SEC’s recent additions of Oklahoma and Texas and restore a balance of power among the ranks of the Power Five. While not a legally binding agreement with a formal contract, the intent of the alliance is for all three conference to collaborate on a handful of topics such as scheduling agreements, the future of the College Football Playoff, and the structure of the NCAA amongst other issues.

The Alliance is merely a handshake agreement between the schools, so this is subject to change at any time. But for now it appears none of the leftover Big 12 schools are appealing enough to the Conference of Champions that they’re worth raiding.

The winners here are the agents of chaos in college sports and those that love them, and the losers are the eight remaining Big 12 schools after Oklahoma and Texas relocated to the SEC.

As the inevitable realignment turns...