Pac-12 Reportedly Rebuilding League By Targeting Mountain West Schools
Sep 11, 2024, 11:05 PM
The Pac-12 Conference is reportedly in talks with four Mountain West schools to rebuild the league. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Is the Pac-12 making a comeback?
According to multiple reports on Wednesday night, the answer is yes.
The Pac-12 Conference, currently a two-member league with Oregon State and Washington State, is targeting four Mountain West schools to join the league beginning in 2026.
Reports indicate that the Pac-12 is adding four Mountain West schools
The Pac-12 is mobilizing a long-discussed plan to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West, sources tell @YahooSports.
Oregon State & Washington State are targeting Boise, SD State, Fresno & CSU. The schools are applying for membership.https://t.co/0RUzTMlz1V
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 12, 2024
Those four Mountain West schools that the Pac-12 is targeting include Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State.
Various outlets have reported that the deal could be finalized by the end of the week. The Athletic’s Chris Vannini reported it could be done by Thursday.
What’s noteworthy about those four programs is that 10 of the last 12 Mountain West football championships reside with those teams.
Adding the four Mountain West teams would increase the Pac-12’s membership to six schools and reduce the Mountain West football programs to eight universities, including Utah State.
The Pac-12 needs eight universities to be an FBS conference in 2026
The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reports that the Pac-12 would need eight members to qualify as an FBS conference.
With the uncertainty regarding the ACC on the East Coast and the lawsuits involving Clemson and Florida State, there could be expansion opportunities with those universities. The AAC and other Group of Five leagues could also produce expansion targets.
Oregon State and Washington State recently failed to strike a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West Conference for the 2025 season, so there’s been a greater urgency for those two schools to set into motion their futures.
Ten Pac-12 members from last season left the league for the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC. The only schools left were Oregon State and Washington State. They are currently playing this season with a scheduling partnership in football with the Mountain West Conference.
For the Olympic sports, the Beavers and Cougars are competing in the West Coast Conference.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
