The Pac-12 conference — the new version that doesn’t have 12 teams — has to add another football sponsoring school before the 2026 season in order to be a recognized conference at the FBS level of college football.
Right now, the Pac-12 is comprised of seven football-sponsoring schools:
- Boise State
- Colorado State
- Fresno State
- Oregon State
- San Diego State
- Utah State
- Washington State
And one non-football school:
- Gonzaga
For months now, there has been considerable discourse about what other school or schools the Pac-12 will add.
Mountain West Conference members UNLV, Nevada and New Mexico have been bandied about.
So too have American Athletic Conference members Memphis, USF, Tulane and UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio).
Texas State (in the Sun Belt) has been mentioned as a possible addition, as has Sacramento State (Big Sky).
Many have presumed that the Pac-12 needs to add another school in order to finalize a media deal for the conference.
According to John Canzano, though, that might not be necessary. And it might not matter at all who the eighth football-sponsoring school is.
Pac-12 athletic directors met this week for a two-day summit and afterward one AD told Canzano, “The feedback we’re getting from prospective media partners is that there isn’t one expansion addition that clearly stands out above the others.”
That, Canzano writes, “meshes with what my media-world industry sources tell me, and it leads me to believe the Pac-12 could secure a media deal before knowing the last member.”
Per Jon Wilner of the Mercury News, the Pac-12 is currently believed to be eyeing a media deal that will provide an estimated $9-$10 million annually to each school in the conference.
That would mark a significant increase for those schools making the move from the MWC to the Pac-12, like Utah State, but would have the Pac-12 well behind what the Power 4 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) hand out to their members annually.
Still, with a media deal at that number, the Pac-12 would be on track to be the clear fifth-best conference in college football.
Even if it won’t affect the bottom line for the Pac-12, expansion will happen — it has to in order for the league to gain entry into the College Football Playoff, and Canzano believes the most logical add for the Pac-12 is UNLV.
Hurting that effort, though, are MWC promises to UNLV — the Rebels could get upwards of $29 million for the conference — and a recent statement by MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez claiming that UNLV has signed a grant of rights agreement with the conference. Which would make the addition of the Rebels extremely expensive for the Pac-12.
If not UNLV, Canzano believes that Nevada wouldn’t come alone. The addition of the Wolfpack only makes sense if “UNLV is already coming, and if the Pac-12 wants nine football members,” Canzano writes.
Memphis, Tulane, any of the potential AAC or Sun Belt additions, really, would add significant travel costs, which Canzano doesn’t believe appeals to the Pac-12.
As for Sacramento State, don’t count on them either.
“Sacramento State is not an option,” Canzano writes. “Get it out of your mind. The Hornets are hyped up about what they might someday become. The Pac-12 needs a school that is game-ready in 2026. Sacramento State isn’t.”
The lack of a standout (or easy) addition explains why the Pac-12 has been stuck at seven football-sponsoring members for awhile now. And if the media rights deal doesn’t hinge on any further additions, it is reasonable to expect further expansion won’t be happening for the Pac-12 soon.
It will happen, though — with enough time for whatever school is added to give its current conference enough notice to be able to compete in the Pac-12 in 2026.