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Breaking news, first reported by Yahoo Sports: The Pac-12 is targeting four Mountain West schools — Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State — as new additions in a reimagined league.
What we're hearing: The four schools are expected to soon apply or have already applied for membership into the conference, which currently has two schools (Oregon State and Washington State). The deal could be finalized by the end of the week, and they would join in 2026.
From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger:
Commissioner Teresa Gould and league officials have long held the belief that they can preserve the Pac-12 brand by reconstructing the conference through expansion, using its 108-year-old tradition, history and assets to attract new members.
This is expected to be the first phase in a multi-phase expansion endeavor to reach, at the very least, eight schools — the NCAA's minimum required to qualify as an FBS conference.
If the aforementioned four join, the league needs two more to complete the process. It must reach the minimum by July of 2026, the end of the NCAA's two-year grace period.
Ripple effects: This move could ignite another round of realignment, as the Pac-12 eyes more expansion candidates and the Mountain West looks to refill its ranks. It would also alter the format of the College Football Playoff, as Ross notes.
Given the departures in the Pac-12, CFP leaders last year voted to change the 12-team expanded playoff format. They removed one automatic qualifying spot and added an at-large bid for a format that features five AQs for the highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large bids.
In the next two years, the Pac-12 champion is not eligible for an automatic qualifying spot as it does not meet the CFP's conference-minimum requirement. However, starting in 2026, the champion of a rebuilt Pac-12 would presumably be eligible to receive an automatic bid.
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