Realignment buzz --Latest on Oregon, Washington, Big 12, Pac-12 - ESPN

There are distinct forces threatening to pull apart the Pac-12, which is staring at the reality that the 2023-24 season may be its last after more than a century of existence.

A few months ago, landing a stout television deal and banding together for the future would have been considered a Houdini act for Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. And while that remains true, at this point it would also require some 11th-hour theatrics.

Outside of Colorado, the feeling in the Pac-12 has remained the same for months: The preference of the Pac-12 presidents is to remain in a West Coast league.

But is the TV deal Kliavkoff presented — primarily Apple with ambiguous financials because of the unknown incentives — enough? The only certainty as of Thursday morning is everything is fluid.

«Hopefully there's resolution in the next 24 hours,» said an industry source. «But I honestly don't know where that resolution is going to be.»

The Pac-12 presidents are expected to meet again on Friday to discuss the deal again. Myriad options are possible by then.

The powers at work here should be considered in separate tiers. The first and strongest is the Big Ten, which sources tell ESPN had a president's meeting on Thursday morning that authorized commissioner Tony Petitti to explore expansion and bring back more information on Oregon and Washington. No vote was taken, nor has an offer been made. The league is still operating with a hesitancy to completely gut the Pac-12 a year after taking USC and UCLA.

If the Big Ten ends up making those schools an offer, which is expected to be low, and it's accepted by both, then there will be some clarity — everything will likely fall apart for the Pac-12. Those are the forces of conference gravity: You