The Pac-12 pivots west.
Pac-12 officials are moving to attract more new members after a group of American Athletic Conference schools decided to reject the league’s interest in joining. The conference has already received a commitment from Utah State and has sent UNLV an offer to join the league, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Pac-12 leaders, along with its consulting firm Navigate, met late Monday night to discuss potential expansion options. The league continues to talk with basketball powers Gonzaga and UConn and is evaluating other options, though UNLV remains the top target.
But time is running out. The Mountain West is racing to retain its members through financial incentives, much of it from exit fees and projected penalties owed to the league by schools that left the league for the Pac-12. Exit fees and penalties are expected to exceed $120 million.
The Mountain West is proposing a staggered distribution of wealth, with each member receiving a financial boost. In fact, the Air Force Academy has already signed the deal with the league. The academy is expected to receive a signing bonus of at least $10 million, Yahoo Sports sources tell Yahoo Sports. At least one other school, UNLV, is expected to receive a similar financial bonus.
Commissioner Gloria Nevarez set a deadline of 5 p.m. MT to sign the deal as the Pac-12 scrambles to potentially poach more members. That deadline passed without any signatures from UNLV.
The Mountain West deal is tied to the conference remaining at eight full members, the NCAA minimum to be considered an FBS conference. Utah State’s departure brings the league to seven full members (Hawaii is a partial member that competes only in football). The Pac-12, with the addition of Utah State, also has seven full members.
In an effort to rebuild the conference, Oregon State and Washington State last week executed the first phase of a multi-phase expansion effort by adding Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State. The teams will join the league in July 2026 and each owe the Mountain West an exit fee of at least $17 million.
The pool of candidates is narrowing for the Pac-12 and the Mountain West. UNLV’s situation in Nevada is interesting. The Nevada System of Higher Education and its Board of Regents govern both schools and must approve decisions related to conference affiliation. Current state governor Joe Lombardo is a UNLV graduate. University of Nevada-Reno President Brian Sandoval is a two-term state governor who commands respect and power among the regents.
As for the Mountain West, the league must secure membership before agreeing to terms with expansion targets, which range from Conference-USA’s UTEP to FCS’s Tarleton State.
