SALT LAKE CITY – Another day, another chapter in the ever-evolving world of Pac-12 Conference expansion with the latest word being the Conference of Champions is seriously exploring adding SMU and SDSU to the mix.

While the chatter of adding San Diego State isn’t particularly new, the whisperings of something happening with Southern Methodist University is.

According to a Tweet from Brett McMurphy of Action Network HQ early evening on February 7, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff is set to visit SMU on Wednesday, February 8 with the intent of exploring adding the Mustangs to the Pac-12.

Pac-12 commish George Kliavkoff visiting SMU Wednesday, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. San Diego State & SMU are top Pac-12 expansion candidates. Pac-12 needs more members & more inventory for new media rights deal, which is expected to rely heavily on digital streaming services

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) February 8, 2023

Thoughts On The Latest In An On-Going Saga

Different thoughts, opinions, and sources have been running rampant since USC and UCLA announced their intended 2024 departure from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten back in June of last year and very few, if any, have proven to pan out to this point.

Still, the Pac-12 is currently in negotiations for their media rights and did hold a meeting last week in Arizona with the member schools’ presidents and chancellors. With that being said, it is certainly conceivable that Kliavkoff has the green light to further explore expansion for the conference and things could very well be full steam ahead with SMU and SDSU.

The one area where I personally hesitate a little to fully jump onboard is how out in the open this appears to be compared to other expansion conversations we’ve seen in the past including the USC/UCLA Big Ten move last summer, Oklahoma/Texas SEC move in 2021, BYU/Cincinnati/UCF/Houston to the Big 12 in 2021, and of course the addition of Utah/Colorado to the Pac-12 in 2011.

Generally speaking, most of these talks and conversations have happened very quietly and only became apparent once the move was set to happen. However, the one area that is different between all of those prior examples to now is that there is a notion that the Pac-12 needs to make a decision on what it wants to do and soon and everyone knows it.

Either way, this will be another interesting trail to track for the Pac-12 and will most likely prove to be leading somewhere or not sooner rather than later.

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports

Follow @bodkinkslsports