ESPN in line for Pac 4 media deal? With Pac-12 dissolving, exploring future alternatives for George Kliavkoff

The Pac-12 has a murky future at best, as the conference has seen eight schools leave, but commissioner George Kliavkoff has reiterated that he will look to keep the conference alive.

With the Pac-12 losing eight teams, many fans wonder if the conference will merge with another conference or just fold up altogether. However, according to CFB insider Jim Williams, the Pac-12, aka the Pac 4, is hoping to talk to the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) about a potential merger. If that happens, the Pac-12 would technically be back on ESPN.

"The Pac 4 will talk with the ACC have talks about a merger. The ACC legal team feels that the additions could open the door for a better TV deal w/ ESPN keeping FSU and Clemson happy," Williams tweeted.

However, at the end of the tweet, Williams said that it does appear to be a long shot that a deal would be struck.

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Will the Pac-12 survive?

If the ACC and Pac-12 merger doesn't happen, which Williams calls it a long shot, the future of the conference is murky at best.

The Pac-12 will be down to four teams starting in 2024 and will need to at least add a couple of teams to remain a Power 5 conference. However, commissioner George Kliavkoff has been adamant that the conference will survive as he looks to add teams.

After the eight schools left, Kliavkoff said that the Pac-12 is focused on keeping the conference alive. As well, back at media day, Kliavkoff was adamant about trying to expand anyway.

“We are focused on concluding our media rights deal and securing our continued success and growth,” the statement says.

“Immediately following the conclusion of our media rights deal, we will embrace expansion opportunities and bring new fans, markets, excitement and value to the Pac-12.”

At the moment, the Apple streaming deal with the Pac-12 is not done, and whether or not it will happen remains to be seen.

If the Pac-12 merges with the ACC, the conference will be back on ESPN, which will keep them afloat for the time being. Another option could be to merge with the Mountain West Conference.

Nevertheless, Goerge Kliavkoff and the Pac-12 have their hands full as they look to keep the conference alive.