Looking back at the Pac-12's failed alliance with the ACC and Big Ten

The alliance went from serious move to meme

We are now two years removed from Texas and Oklahoma announcing that they would be going to the SEC, which led to what can now only be considered a meme of college sports.

Following the news, the Pac-12, ACC, and Big Ten essentially agreed via handshake that the three conferences would stick together and help solve any issues in regards to onCollege Football Playoff expansion, and non-conference games. What happened next? Well, alliance member and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren poached USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 leaving the college football world stunned.

Flash forward to about a month ago, Oregon and Washington also left for the Big Ten, while Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah are all off to the Big Ten. This leaves just four programs in the conference remaining with Stanford and Cal expected to be joining the ACC. While you may be reading this and thinking that something had to come out of the alliance, you would be mistaken. The best thing it did was become a joke that fans will look back on for years to come. 

Happy 2-year anniversary to "The Alliance"! 🎂

On this day in 2021, the ACC, Big Ten & Pac-12 joined together to “to stabilize a volatile environment” in college athletics by prioritizing "student-athlete well-being" over money. 🥶

Mission accomplished, gentlemen!! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/x6a4YQ4ekO

— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) August 24, 2023