SMU is finding itself featured prominently in the conference expansion conversation.
The Mustangs are one of several rumored expansion targets for the PAC-12 Conference as it tries to survive and compete with other expanding power conferences, primarily the SEC and the Big 10.
The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported PAC-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff visited campus in early February as rumors surrounding the school’s potential match with the conference intensified.
According to On3, Kliavkoff has previously said that the conference will look at schools based on their market size, athletic performance, academic criteria, and cultural fit.
Dallas-Fort Worth is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States based on population. SMU would give the PAC-12 a more significant presence in Texas, a prominent state for recruiting athletes, which does not currently have a PAC-12 affiliated school.
Athletically, SMU has been on the rise, particularly as a football program, and would likely jump at the chance to compete in a power conference. Highly rated recruits could be more attracted to the school if it has that affiliation and the ability to compete for championships.
While Kliavkoff did not specify the academic requirements, SMU is a top 72 national university, according to the most recent rankings from US News, which considers 10 different factors when comparing schools.
Only four current PAC-12 institutions rank higher, and two are leaving.
SMU has been a member of the American Athletic Conference since its inception in 2013, when the Big East Conference was decimated with departures through college basketball realignment.
The Mustangs have also been members of Conference USA, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and the Southwestern Conference.
San Diego State is another possibility the PAC-12 is considering and makes much more sense geographically.
Forbes reported both SMU and San Diego State could be invited into the PAC-12 by April, and the conference would halt expansion there for the time being.
The PAC-12 needs to catch up as the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC will add schools to their conferences over the next two years.
The conference previously discussed an alliance with the ACC and the Big Ten, but the deal fell through.
The PAC-12 has declined requests to comment on the expansion reports.