The Pac-12 conference recently announced that it has accepted Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State as new members, joining Oregon State and Washington State. These four Mountain West schools will officially become part of the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026. This move is seen as an effort to preserve the league and strengthen its position in intercollegiate athletics. With the addition of these schools, the Pac-12 now only needs two more programs to reach the NCAA’s eight-school threshold to be considered an FBS conference.
The long-term goal of this expansion is to rebuild the Pac-12 as a power-level league by finding high-quality programs to join. The next step will be to add at least two more programs that meet the standards set for FBS conference consideration. Stanford and California are potential candidates, but it remains uncertain whether they can be courted due to recent grant-of-rights agreements signed with the ACC.
The departure of ten legacy Pac-12 programs in 2024 left Oregon State and Washington State in a challenging position. They are now operating as de facto FBS Independents with a substantial financial reserve of $250 million. However, buying out the four Mountain West schools will reportedly cost $187 million, which could be offset using the Pac-12’s existing resources. The Mountain West conference is currently assessing the situation and determining the next steps to be taken in light of these departures.
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