As several schools have departed the Pac-12, Washington State had to find a clear path forward.
Though it seemed possible Washington State would end up with another conference, that won’t become reality now, as the Pac-12 will be picking up a few important members from the Mountain West in the near future.
Texas State Joins The Pac-12
Texas State is officially going to the Pac-12’s and will be the league’s eighth full-time member.
Texas State had long been rumored to be a candidate for Pac-12 expansion. It gives the conference a foothold in the Lone Star State, for starters.
It’s also a solid university by several metrics, and the football team has shown growth in the past couple years. In the two seasons that GJ Kinne has been the head coach, the Bobcats have gone 8-5 in both 2023 and 2024, ending both of those seasons with bowl victories.
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 created a ripple effect for the rest of the FBS. The Mountain West is losing some of its top teams and added UTEP and Northern Illinois.
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.
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
The Pac-12 filed 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 the 2024 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.
Though, those schools could always change their minds.
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.
Apple Cup’s Future
Washington State and Washington announced their Apple Cup rivalry series would continue through at least 2028.
Last season marked the 116th time the two schools played. The Cougars defeated the Huskies 24-19 in 2024.
For more Group of Five coverage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Can A Pac-12 Team Make The College Football Playoff?
Washington State and Oregon State, the two remaining Pac-12 teams, still can earn a spot in the CFP. However, that path will be difficult without a chance to automatically qualify with a conference championship.
Washington State, Pac-12 History
Washington State has been a member of the Pac-12 since 1962, though it has been called a variety of names over the years.
When WSU joined, it was known as the Athletic Association of Western Universities. Then the league became the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968 before being renamed the Pacific-10 Conference in 1978 when Arizona and Arizona State were added. It officially became the Pac-12 in 2011 after Colorado and Utah joined the conference.
Pac-12 TV Deal
The Pac-12 agreed to a television deal with The CW from 2026-31, as the league had already agreed to a partnership with CBS.
The CW, which currently has most of Oregon State’s and Washington State’s home football games, will have 13 regular season games during the football season. It will also have 35 games of men’s basketball and 15 women’s basketball games.
As for conference championships, CBS will have the league title game for football and men’s basketball while the CW will have the Pac-12 women’s basketball championship.
How Much Is The Pac-12’s TV Deal Worth?
The Pac-12’s media deal as a whole was speculated to pay schools between $4 million and $10 million per year. However, official numbers have not been widely reported. Also, that’s a wide range and plenty still needs to be sorted out.
New Pac-12 teams were looking to earn more than the $4 million per team per year payout that came with the Mountain West media deal, according to ESPN. But it appears it will be below $10 million per year, which was pitched when the Pac-12 began looking for new members.
