Over the summer, longtime Pac-12 columnist John Canzano floated the idea of a loose partnership between the Pac-12 and the ACC as a means of survival for the conference in the wake of news that USC and UCLA are headed to the Big Ten in 2024.

Any such partnership has yet to materialize, but Canzano reported on Thursday that it might still be on the table as a way to help the Pac-12 change its scheduling model.

According to Canzano, the league wants to drop a conference game and move from nine league games down to eight, matching what the SEC and ACC currently play. From Canzano’s report:

I also expect the Pac-12 will announce plans to drop from nine conference football games to eight, perhaps in time for the 2024 season. Merton Hanks, the Pac-12’s supervisor of football, told me early this season that there’s support for that scheduling move.

Not everyone is in favor of it, though. It’s tricky enough to find three non-conference opponents. Now, you’d be asking the Pac-12 members to find a fourth game. Also, the cost of booking non-conference “guarantee” games is growing prohibitive.

Canzano references the $1.1 million Oregon paid to BYU for a game this season, the $1.9 million Auburn will soon pay Western Kentucky for a Nov. 19 meeting, and a source who said there are some teams in the Pac-12 who would not be able to afford a fourth ‘pay for play’ game.

That’s where the ACC comes in. From Canzano:

It’s why crossover games vs. ACC opponents make sense. Some of them might even become lucrative revenue-generating events. Think about matchups such as Miami-Oregon and Clemson-Utah and Washington-Florida State. Some of the high-profile games could be played at neutral sites (Read: SoFi Stadium and Allegiant Stadium).

Canzano writes that he expects the Pac-12’s new media rights deal to be decided first, then the attention will turn to possible expansion. We got conflicting reports this week that the Pac-12 was set to add San Diego State as a new member. While the league might eventually bring the Aztecs into the fold, several reports suggested nothing is imminent.

But after those two pieces of business are settled, Canzano thinks the league could have a new scheduling partnership going forward.