Listen to the interview here

George Kliavkoff – Commissioner of the Pac-12 – joins AJ Maestas to discuss the major trends in college athletics like CFP expansion, NIL, and potential football rule changes.

George talks about how his career outside of college athletics has prepared him for his new role, and what that transition has been like so far. He also explains why he’s so optimistic about his conference’s future. 

Details:

1:28 – The transition from fan to commissioner

8:45 – CFP expansion and football rule changes

12:05 – NIL & broader changes to the NCAA

“I’ll give great credit to Greg Sankey (SEC Commissioner). I do think revisiting the rule book and thinking about ways that we can limit the number of contacts during the season. I’ll give you one example that Greg shared with me. That is, what if the clock ran after an incomplete pass and you save, I don’t know what the number is for that particular rule, but let’s say you can save 1.2 games worth of contact in the regular season. Now, without the kids having a single, additional physical interaction, you’ve bought an extra game in the playoffs. I’m sure there are lots of rules that we should be revisiting, but I’m in favor of conducting that holistic view of the calendar and the rule book with a focus on player safety and health, and with a focus on protecting the academic calendar.”

32:10 – Future of the Pac-12

44:30 – The Alliance (Pac-12, ACC, and Big 10)

50:00 – Rapid Fire Questions