Pac 4 AAC merger possible as George Kliavkoff prepares relocation from Power 5 to Group of 5: Reports

The Pac 4 under commissioner George Kliavkoff could become a Group of 5 conference, according to reports.

The Pac-12 has seen eight of its 12 teams leave in the last year, with six leaving in the last couple of weeks. It's been a tough spot for Kliavkoff and the conference, as it tries to secure a media rights deal with Apple.

According to CFB insider Jim Williams, the Pac 4 is reportedly in talks to merge with the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

"One more Pac4 long shot on the merger front could come w/talks w/the AAC. Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State would join. giving the conference three time zones. AGAIN A LONG SHOT POSSIBLY MORE TV MONEY," the report says.

Having the conference in three different time zones would allow for more primetime broadcasts for the Pac-4 and AAC. However, as Williams says, it does appear to be a bit of a longshot at this time.

---

Is the Pac 4 going to be a Group of 5?

If the Pac 4 does go into the Group of 5, it would be a big blow to the historic conference that has been a Power 5 conference for years.

The big difference between Group of 5 and Power 5 is the fact that the Group of 5 is considered worse and does not have similar access to New Year's Six or College Football Playoff bowls. However, in 2012 an agreement was made that starting in 2014, a spot in one of the New Year's Six bowl games would go to a team from one of the Group of Five conferences.

However, it's not impossible for a Pac 4 school to make the College Football playoffs. In 2021, Cincinnati became the first Group of Five team to make the CFB.

---

George Kliavkoff has been trying to expand

The news that the Pac 4 is looking to merge or expand also shouldn't come as a surprise.

Even before the six schools had left, Kliavkoff said that the expansion was on their priority list. The conference announced that they would be looking to add teams to keep the historic Pac-12 alive.