Pac-12 Conference is back from the dead with new expansion

What is dead may never die. And that includes the Pac-12 Conference.

Appropriately enough, reports emerged after dark on Wednesday evening from all the major college football reporters that the decimated Pac-12 Conference would be expanding. The current Pac-2 of Oregon State and Washington State would be joined by Mountain West members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State to make a new conference of six teams.

The news was confirmed early Thursday morning as the Pac-12 and all four of the Mountain West schools announced their intention to join the Conference of Champions.

According to a release from the Pac-12 , the new schools will begin play in their new league for the 2026-2027 season.

The Pac-12 Conference Board of Directors voted unanimously to admit Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University, four respected institutions celebrated for their achievements in both academics and athletics, to the Pac-12 Conference effective July 1, 2026. Competition will begin for all conference sports in the 2026-27 academic year.

Following the review of the formal written applications from the four universities, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould and the conference Board of Directors strategically evaluated each university’s application using five prioritized measures and established criteria which included academics and athletics performance; media and brand evaluation; commitment to athletics success; geography and logistics; culture and student-athlete welfare.

While the revival of the Pac-12 is an incredible story, there are some huge questions that come to mind in terms of what happens to the Mountain West, how it gets two other teams to actually remain an FBS conference (it needs a minimum of eight schools), and just how everybody is paying for this.

The cost of the Pac-12 poaching these schools from the Mountain West could be up to almost $30 million thanks to the MWC exit fee and the scheduling agreement struck between the two conferences for this season according to Yahoo Sports . Merger talks between the two conferences broke down recently and are now coming to an end with the four Mountain West schools believing the grass is indeed greener on the other side.

Where that grass is remains to be seen. The old Pac-12 couldn’t get a television deal to save its life while the current Mountain West is currently under contract with TNT for football games . Depending on the other two schools to round out the conference, could the Pac-12 actually get a decent media rights deal done that would help sustain the league and help offset some of these realignment costs? You would be hard pressed to call the new Pac-12 a “power” conference at the moment, but it’s better than the alternative, which… you know, was their untimely demise.

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