The Pacific-12 Conference has continued its expansion by adding Utah State University, with multiple other universities also expected to discuss potential realignments with the conference.
Utah State has become the fifth school from the Mountain West Conference to make the move into the Pac-12, joining Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State in the shift to a larger conference, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The addition of Utah State comes as the Pac-12 attempts to become a “Best of the Rest conference” that features all the top collegiate teams from non-Power Five conferences.
The Pac-12, which has reached a total of seven members, is now expected to continue discussions with multiple schools in the coming days as it looks to reach the eight-member minimum to be considered a conference by the NCAA.
One university that could potentially make the move into the Pac-12 is UNLV, as the two sides are now expected to continue negotiations that were originally halted by the school.
UNLV initially committed to staying in the MWC for the foreseeable future after pausing discussions with the Pac-12, but this commitment was predicated on at least eight teams returning to the conference, as reported by ESPN.
In response to the departure of Utah State, which puts the MWC at just seven members, officials from the conference are allowing UNLV to explore other options that could potentially include realignment.
Although the Pac-12 has had success in poaching teams from the MWC, the conference has seemingly struggled to convince teams from the American Athletic Conference to make the switch.
Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, and USF have publicly committed to staying in the AAC, writing in a joint statement that they are remaining in a conference that “prioritizes student-athlete welfare, has proud academic institutions, produces fierce competition at the highest level, and has outstanding linear and direct-to-consumer national media partners.”
“Together, we are committed to continuing to build the American brand, exploring new opportunities for exposure and value, and developing innovative economic resources—all in service of our student-athletes,” continued the statement, per Outkick’s Barrett Sallee.
“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other. Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future.”
One of the biggest factors in these four universities remaining in the AAC was the stability of the conference, as the league has an existing TV contract that will provide revenue to the schools until 2032, per CBS Sports.
The AAC has reminded members that projections by the Pac-12 of $12 million per school are completely “speculative” and that there is no guarantee that the payouts would reach this number since the conference does not currently have a TV contract in place.
While many of the discussions regarding realignment have been based on the success of Pac-12 football, the conference is also in discussions with teams that would be basketball additions.
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are also reportedly in early discussions with the conference to join as basketball additions, but there is no indication of how far these discussions have progressed as more universities continue to join, per ESPN.
Initial reporting is that Gonzaga would receive a full revenue share if the university decides to join the Pac-12, though it remains to be seen whether Saint Mary’s would also receive a full share without a football team.
Luckily, the Pac-12 will have until July 1, 2026, to inform the NCAA of at least eight conference members, which is the minimum number of universities required to be considered a conference by the NCAA.
