The PAC-12 has been in the midst of realignment for a few years now. With many former teams departing dramatically, the new additions have been no walk in the park either. As a quick recap, we’ll review some of the most recent events, what’s happening now, and what the future looks like for the conference.
The PAC-12 is in the process of completing its first and only years aligned with the Mountain West. After losing 10 of the 12-member teams, the remaining two teams, Oregon State and Washington State, needed to fill an athletic calendar for the 2024-25 year. With a short time frame and limited options, naturally, the nearest geographic conference, the Mountain West, made the best partner to schedule against. In an agreement between the two scores, they put together an athletic schedule for the year, assuring the remaining PAC-12 teams had programs to play, and the Mountain West received $14 million for hosting them.
The happy union didn’t last long between the conferences. In the fall of 2024, multiple Mountain West members announced their intention to leave the conference to join the PAC-12. This began an arms race between the conferences, battling over a limited number of available teams in the area. Ultimately, five Mountain West teams opted to join the PAC-12, followed by Gonzaga as a basketball-only member.
However, the Mountain West expected this. They included additional poaching fees in the PAC-12 Mountain West 24-25 athletic agreement. These fees were 10 million dollars and $500,000 extra for each school the PAC-12 gained from the Mountain West. The five Universities from the Mountain West added over 50 million dollars in fees on top of already hefty exit fees.
The PAC-12 has questioned the legality of these “poaching” fees, resulting in an ongoing lawsuit with the Mountain West. It’s unclear which way the lawsuit may be leaning, but we’ll likely get more news in March when the hearing is scheduled.
The problem this has created for the PAC-12 is that it is still one member short of being a whole conference. Per NCAA rules, a conference is required to have eight full members. Even though the PAC-12 has eight members, including Gonzaga, it needs another full FBS football member to be eligible.
So, how does this relate to the poaching fee drama? The PAC-12 focused on adding Memphis, USF, UTSA, and Tulane. However, when it approached the group of schools, it became clear that without a TV deal and less-than-impressive financial assistance offer due to the poaching fees, leaving the AAC wasn’t financially viable for those teams—dashing away the hopes of a quick conference rebuild.
This has left the PAC-12 in limbo. With only seven Universities, limited funds, no TV deal, and lawsuits, this saga is far from over. However, we’re starting to understand what the PAC-12's future might look like.
The number one thing the conference is currently working on is a TV deal. The conference has been quiet about expansion news since announcing their pursuit of a deal. Currently, we don’t have much information about a network, but it sounds like the conference is looking for around $9 to $10 million for each member per year. That would be a substantial uplift from the current Mountain West TV-deal of around 3.6 million.
Once a TV deal is settled, the conference's primary goal is to add the last school. There are still a couple of options, but Texas State seems like the low-hanging fruit right now. They have been reportedly interested in joining the PAC-12, and with their FBS status, they would take the conference to the required eight Universities.
If it’s not Texas State, things begin to look tricky. Some rumors have floated that if the PAC-12 wins the poaching fees lawsuit, UNLV might be back in play for the PAC-12. As one of the more premiere schools still in the Mountain West that is geographically close, this could be ideal. However, it doesn’t feel likely.
Alternatively, there have been rumors about potential FCS teams leaping up. There was a fair amount of excitement surrounding the possibility of Sacramento State entering the PAC-12. However, everything on that front has gone cold. With the FBS requirements looking out of reach in the current time frame, elevating any FCS school may be out of the question for the PAC-12.
Looking a little farther into the future. There have been some interesting rumors regarding those original AAC schools, Memphis, USF, UTSA, and Tulane. With their contract expiring with the conference in 2027, they may still be an option to expand the PAC-12. With the TV deal likely being much stronger than the current AAC deal, there is a possibility we could see the PAC-12 spanning the country in only a few years.
Whichever way you look at it, though. The conference still has a long way to go. Beyond the legal issues and NCAA requirements, this PAC-12 will be a much different place to play.