Fan puts forth hypothesis of $280 million TV deal for the Pac-12 and AAC superconference if Oliver Luck succeeds in negotiating a fair deal

The Pac-12 is in a bit of a mess, and there could be a Pac-12 and AAC superconference forming. The American Athletic Conference is looking to get recognition, and merging with the Pac-12 could be the way they do so.

One Oregon State Beavers fan took to Twitter to post a hypothetical superconference between the two conferences with divisions.

This conference could wind up seeing $280 million per year, and that $14 million per team, if divided equally, still makes them the lowest-paid Power Five by far. However, that would be more than double the $5.94 million per year each American Conference teams make in their current deal.

This Pac-12 and AAC merger would definitely be interesting as all four Pac-12 teams stay together and get absorbed. The potential 20-team superconference could be the way things wind up in the end.

Are there any issues with the Pac-12 and AAC merger if structured this way?

After the Pac-12 hired Oliver Luck to help figure out its situation, the opportunities of joining a superconference increased. The four Pac-12 teams – Oregon State, California, Washington State and Stanford – would likely want to stay together but there are a few issues in this hypothetical superconference.

One issue would be the traveling aspect. Flying across the country weekly could be tough for teams, especially on some of the Olympic sports. Another issue would be leaving a few teams off the superconference. In this hypothetical situation, there would be no Boise State or Fresno State in the equation.

What can make a Pac-12 and AAC merger actually work

The American wants to be viewed as a Power Five Conference, and some coaches believe it is at that level. However, adding the brain power of Oliver Luck and Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff in a Pac-12 and AAC merger would be extremely beneficial to the American.

This merger adds a lot of incredible brain trust to the league offices. With travel issues, there can be something similar to other conferences' divisional play as they decide to play one or two nondivisional games during the season.

The money doubling is always good, but again, that is just a hypothetical figure. But there would likely be a massive increase on the current media rights deal. A superconference going coast-to-coast could work to make a name for itself.