It’s been over a year since the Pac-12 as we knew it began to dismantle due to college football conference realignment, and it was unclear what the remaining two teams in the conference would do.
Oregon State and Washington State were in a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for the 2024 season. But beyond that, OSU and WSU faced an uncertain future.
That was, until a few months ago. Here’s a look at what’s going on with the Pac-12.
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Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah State & San Diego State Join The Pac-12
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State, and San Diego State have announced they are officially going to the Pac-12, beginning during the 2026 season. Gonzaga will also be going to the Pac-12 for all of its sports, which doesn’t include football.
Those moves will likely create a ripple effect for the rest of the FBS. The Pac-12 needs at least one more full-time member to be technically considered a conference, so others will likely become members of the new-look league. The Mountain West is losing some of its top teams and has been searching for candidates to boost its numbers back up.
Pac-12 officials reportedly believe the league can reach a media deal worth more than the Mountain West’s currently, which could be a key reason for these moves.
The Pac-12 is no longer an autonomous league, meaning it had more influence in regards to NCAA decisions and received more money from the College Football Playoff. It’s uncertain if the Pac-12 could regain that status. It’s also unclear if the CFP would go back to six automatic qualifying spots for conference championship winners, as that number decreased to five following the Pac-12 dropping to two teams.
Pac-12 Conference Realignment News
The Mountain West is bringing in UTEP, which is currently a member of Conference USA and was believed by some to be a potential target for the Pac-12, and Northern Illinois, one of the top programs in the MAC.
Both are joining a conference that’s stronger in terms of on-the-field performance. And that’s not including the five teams which will be members of the Pac-12 in two years, as Air Force and UNLV both reached the AP Top 25 in the past two years.
There’s also familiarity with the Miners and the other current Mountain West teams, as UTEP played against all of those programs while in the Western Athletic Conference.
UTEP and NIU will become members of the Mountain West in 2026. Hawaii announced it will become a full-time Mountain West member in 2026, giving the league the minimum eight members it needed.
Pac-12/Mountain West Lawsuit
Several outlets published stories recently about the Pac-12 filing a lawsuit against the Mountain West over its poaching penalties. That number will be more than $50 million depending on how many schools end up going from the Mountain West to the Pac-12.
Those fees are on top of the $17 million per school that the soon-to-be Pac-12 members will have to pay for leaving the Mountain West, though the Pac-12 will cover some or all of that.
The poaching penalties were part of the scheduling alliance that the Pac-12 and Mountain West made for last season.
The Pac-12’s argument is it’s an antitrust issue. The conference allegedly is claiming it had no choice but to agree to that deal because most of the conference’s teams had left and the league had only a few months to come up with a schedule for the 2024 season.
Memphis, USF, UTSA & Tulane To Stay In The AAC
The Pac-12 was reportedly hoping to add some of the top programs in the AAC as well, but now that doesn’t appear to be happening.
Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, and UTSA publicly announced a recommitment to the AAC last season. That seriously hampers the Pac-12’s expansion efforts.
All four of those schools are located in good markets, and all four of them were in bowl games in 2024. They were logical targets for the Pac-12 aside from travel costs.
Now the question is what other teams might the Pac-12 be considering.
UNLV, Air Force To Remain In The Mountain West
UNLV, Air Force, and the Mountain West’s remaining full-time members have reportedly recommitted to staying in the Mountain West despite interest from the Pac-12 and AAC.
Air Force was reportedly being considered as an addition for the AAC before Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State announced they were going anywhere.
The move would’ve made sense for the Falcons. They could have joined a league with Army and Navy and could have avoided the uncertainty that the Mountain West is looking at. Air Force also doesn’t play too far from Denver, which provides some benefits as well.
Instead, the Falcons as well as programs like UNLV and San Jose State seem to be a part of the Mountain West’s immediate future.
Which FBS Teams Are Candidates To Join The Pac-12?
- New Mexico State
- Texas State
- UNLV
- New Mexico
- Sacramento State
- UC Davis
The Pac-12 reportedly wouldn’t need or even want to reach double-digit members in the near future. But it does need at least one more team.
UNLV and New Mexico would be good teams for the Pac-12 if they were willing to move on, but the rest of the MW and the AAC’s teams appear to be staying put. From a geographical perspective, New Mexico State makes sense. UConn is currently an independent program, so the Pac-12 wouldn’t have to worry about any exit fees with that addition.
It would’ve made more sense for the Pac-12 to pick up additional Mountain West teams, but those programs have reportedly been offered money made from exit fees to stay.
Also, no one should rule out the possibility of the Pac-12 adding FCS teams. But those programs will likely be considered by the Mountain West now as well.
Which Teams Could Be Expansion Targets For The Mountain West & Pac-12?
- New Mexico State
- Toledo
- Tarleton State
- Montana
- Montana State
- Sacramento State
- North Dakota State
- South Dakota State
- Idaho
- UC Davis
Now that the Pac-12 is loading up on some of the top teams from the Mountain West, the MW is in a tough position. If the league only loses five teams, there’s still half of a conference left over, though.
The obvious first place to look for more teams would be elsewhere in the FBS. Most of the AAC, MAC, and Sun Belt would be too far away to consider, or those teams would prefer to stay in the leagues they are in. Some from Conference USA, specifically New Mexico State, would be a good place to start because of geography.
From there, the Mountain West would be wise to at least consider some of the nearby teams in the FCS, like Tarleton State. That could also include adding arguably the top four teams in that subdivision, which happen to be not too far away – Montana, Montana State, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State. North Dakota and South Dakota could also be in that conversation if taking teams from those states led to legislative leaders requiring a package deal in those instances.
Idaho, a former FBS team, as well as Sacramento State and UC Davis would also make sense because of their locations.
Pac-12/Mountain West Poaching Penalties & Fees
The Mountain West will be owed at least roughly $55 million in poaching penalties for the five teams going to the Pac-12. That’s also not including the $17 million each school has to pay for leaving the league.
Those poaching penalty numbers are part of the scheduling agreement those two leagues made last offseason.
If one Mountain West team had gone to the Pac-12, the Pac-12 would’ve had to pay $10 million. Two schools would have been $20.5 million, four would’ve been $43 million, five is $55 million, and six would be $67.5 million.
That is a lot of money. However, the former Pac-12 teams that left the conference paid a $65 million settlement to Washington State and Oregon State. The Pac-12 will also have $190 million in future revenue. So the cash is there.
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What Are The Mountain West Buyouts For Leaving The Conference?
Mountain West teams have to pay $17 million when any one of them leaves the conference with a one-year notice. Any notice less than that amount of time, then the fee would jump to $34 million.
How Much Did The Pac-12 Pay The Mountain West In 2024?
The 2024 Mountain West/Pac-12 arrangement is costing the Pac-12 about $14 million.
Old Pac-12 Teams Now In The Big 12
Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah went to the Big 12.
Old Pac-12 Teams Now In The Big Ten
USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington are in the Big Ten now.
Old Pac-12 Teams Now In The ACC
After those aforementioned eight teams went to other power conferences, Cal and Stanford decided to go to the ACC and are competing in that league now.
