SALT LAKE CITY-  The Pac-12 issued a statement Friday afternoon stating their board of directors have met and have authorized exploring expansion options in an effort to keep the Pac-12 in tact. The statement also says the 10 remaining Pac-12 universities are committed to staying and working on a plan.

Bombshell News

Thursday afternoon chaos ensued in the college football world after USC and UCLA made cloak and dagger moves to the Big Ten leaving the Pac-12 high and dry. The news left many reeling in the sports world including the SEC and of course the remaining Pac-12 members who were blindsided by the departure.

There has been much speculation as to what will happen next for the Utes as a result of the news and what feels like several directions in which they could go. One thing feels for sure, conference expansion and realignment will not be stopping anytime soon. However, it’s anyone’s guess as to where it will ultimately end.

For the time being it appears the remaining Pac-12 members will be working together to try and keep the conference intact. There were rumors circulating late Thursday that Oregon and Washington were also out the door, but Friday’s statement seems to have put the kibosh on that for now.

Who Could Join?

It’s hard to say this early on exactly who the Pac-12 will be after and if anyone would be interested in joining a conference that has shown incompetence for years now. A few schools they could possibly consider include San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Nevada, UNLV and Fresno State. These options would require the Pac-12 to loosen up on their educational stance in order to stay alive.

The other option might be to see who the Pac-12 can coax from the Big 12, but again, if we are looking at this from a conference security standpoint it’s hard to believe anyone would willingly leave.

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