After the mass exodus we saw last year, Pac-12 Rising from the ashes, a plan is being hatched that would add four teams to the Mountain West Conference in another round of restructuring that would bring the once moribund league back to college athletics.
After shouting that the Pac-12 could still play an important role in the future, and just because ten teams decided to leave it in search of better opportunities, conference Putting together a new band.
How’s that song? ‘Gather around this table, boys. Bring your shame, I’ll lose my voice.’
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With the conference in limbo it appears after conference realignment, and 10 schools led by Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA deciding to go elsewhere, the long-thought plan to keep the Pac-12 brand alive may be coming to fruition.
It was officially announced by the Pac-12 on Thursday morning.
FILE – This Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, file photo shows the Pac-12 logo during the second half of the NCAA college football game between Arizona State and Kent State in Tempe, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)
“For more than a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as the leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” said Commissioner Teresa Gould. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and advancement to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am grateful to our Board for their efforts in inviting Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno and San Diego State University to the Conference. Today begins an exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference.”
As it was told earlier Yahoo SportsAnd as confirmed by Outkick from multiple sources, the conference that currently only includes Washington State and Oregon State is making its move to bring in four teams from the Mountain West. The move would bring them to six schools. The plan is to have Fresno State, Colorado State, Boise State and San Diego State apply to join the conference, which would then be approved by the existing two schools.
It certainly didn’t help the Mountain West Conference when they couldn’t come to an agreement with the Pac-12 on a future scheduling model even though the deadline had passed earlier this month.
Sources told Outkick that the missed deadline gave the Pac-12 Conference a perfect incentive to make a move on the Mountain West schools.
The move would lay the groundwork for the Pac-12 to remain an FBS conference that is recognized by the NCAA, with an additional two teams needed to meet the requirement of eight institutions. Schools planning to leave the Mountain West Conference would begin play in the ‘new’ Pac-12 in 2026.
Right now, the Pac-12 is operating under a ‘grace period’ granted by the NCAA that maintains their status as an FBS conference, but that period will expire in 2026. The move to lure enough teams to strengthen the Pac-12 has always been the hope of the two remaining schools, as the brand still carries enough weight when it comes to history and tradition, with the conference name alone being a staple of college athletics.
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Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen runs down the field for a touchdown in the second quarter against Oregon on Sept. 7, 2024, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard/USA TODAY Network)
Now, schools that want to leave the Mountain West Conference will have to pay $17 million, plus an additional $43 million under the scheduling agreement. This will give the Mountain West Conference a total of $111 million in exit fees.
For the Mountain West, getting this much money gives them the opportunity to reach out to other G-5 schools, or potentially bring some institutions up from the FCS level. Only time will tell what the MWC decides to do next.
Although there is a 2-year transition period to reach the FBS level, meaning they cannot participate in the postseason during that period, the lure of reaching the next level, along with the financial aid, is still tempting.
How the Pac-12 will move forward financially with new teams
In terms of future monetary opportunities, the new College Football Playoff contract, as well as shared revenue from the NCAA tournament, would be attractive enough for other schools to push hard to join the Pac-12. Yes, technically the conference would be in the ‘Group of Five’ category, as they lost the ‘Power Conference’ title when previous members left.
A key part of the expansion will depend on a media rights deal for the Pac-12, but that shouldn’t be a problem when it comes to future revenue, especially with the addition of teams from the four markets mentioned earlier. Currently, Washington State and Oregon State have a deal with The CW Network to broadcast their games, while the MWC has a deal with CBSSN.
With four teams added now, adding two more before the start of the 2026-2027 season would mean the Pac-12 should have multiple options for media deals. Now, who will bid on the conference rights is the main question. But, if they can get in the ballpark of the AAC, or possibly even reach the $18-20 million range, it could work in their favor.
August 31, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs quarterback Mickey Keane (1) throws a pass in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)
Will ESPN and Apple TV come back to the negotiating table after the original Pac-12 rejected their offer before the last chaos? That could happen, or another group of networks could want in on the action.
But, there is still money to be made, and there will be incentive for other ‘Group of Five’ schools to look at the Pac-12 as a potential destination. Will we see the geographic shifts we saw in the latest round of realignment, such as Cal and Stanford joining the ACC? I would say it could be a possibility, if the financial conditions are right, for any school to leave its current conference, such as the AAC or Sun Belt, just for reference.
In terms of the broader scheme, this would be a big step for the Pac-12, as the landscape of college athletics continues to change, and the revenue-sharing model is currently being litigated in court.
After the departure of the last ten conference schools, the CFP committee took away the Pac-12’s automatic bid, making it an ‘at-large’ spot. But, the opportunity for the conference to get back its automatic bid to the College Football Playoff will be a huge deal for schools looking to join in the next two years.
We’re certainly not done with restructuring in college sports, and the Pac-12 is trying to rise from the ashes of one of the premier conferences in college athletics.
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The conference obviously won’t look the same when it comes to the pedigree of potential future teams, but the conference name is still alive, and it’s starting to look like we’ll get the ‘Pac-12 After Dark’ back.
There are still many questions to be answered. I’m beginning to wonder if the new Pac-12 will be born before Clemson and Florida State can walk out of the courtroom.
