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Alliance commissioners respond to criticism after voting against CFP expansion
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The 3 commissioners to vote against expanding the College Football Playoff came from The Alliance (ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12), but that doesn’t make them a “voting bloc,” according to ACC commissioner Jim Phillips.
The 3 commissioners from the Alliance commissioners spoke to ESPN on Friday. From Heather Dinich:
“The commissioners from the ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten pushed back on Friday against any public misconception that their “Alliance” of conferences worked together to stop expansion of the College Football Playoff.”
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff called it a “narrative.”
“I think that’s a narrative that certain folks benefit from having out there even if it’s not true,” Kliavkoff told ESPN.
“This isn’t a voting bloc,” Phillips added.
It’s hard to blame anyone who “mistakes” The Alliance for a voting bloc on CFP expansion. The 3 conferences made their Alliance announcement on Aug. 24, 2021. The announcement noted that they would collaborate on multiple issues, including the CFP:
The three conferences remain competitors in every sense but are committed to collaborating and providing thought leadership on various opportunities and challenges facing college athletics, including:
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Student-athlete mental and physical health, safety, wellness and support
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Strong academic experience and support
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Diversity, equity and inclusion
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Social justice
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Gender equity
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Future structure of the NCAA
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Federal legislative efforts
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Postseason championships and future formats
More from the commissioners as to how a group of conferences aligned as collaborators on postseason championships did not work together to delay CFP expansion can be found here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.