According to a bombshell report from The Athletic, the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 are “engaging in high-level discussions about an alliance.”

The report states that the potential alliance could relate to scheduling and issues such as College Football Playoff expansion. The Athletic states that the conferences’ three commissioners have been having conversations for several weeks.

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff responded to The Athletic when asked for comment.

“I’ve been in frequent and regular contact with all of the other [Autonomy 5] commissioners the last few weeks about the complex issues that are facing the industry,” Kliavkoff said.

The article notes he added that there’s “nothing to report on this specific matter at this time.”

The report states that the alliance is in response to the SEC’s recent expansion. Per the report, the potential alliance conferences do not appear interested in raiding the Big 12’s remaining teams or aligning with the conference.

The Athletic quotes an anonymous athletic director as saying, “This is their shot right back at the SEC.”