The Pac-12 is veering west.
Pac-12 leaders are working to expand after American Athletic Conference schools turned down interest in joining the league. The conference already has a commitment from Utah State University and has sent an offer to join UNLV, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Pac-12 leaders and consulting firm Navigate met late Monday night to discuss possible expansion options, and the league is in talks with basketball powerhouses Gonzaga and UConn and is considering other options, but UNLV remains the top target.
But the clock is ticking, and the Mountain West is sprinting to secure membership with financial incentives. Much of that incentive will come from exit fees and expected penalties paid to the league by schools that move to the Pac-12. The exit fees and penalties are expected to exceed $120 million.
The Mountain West is proposing a sliding scale of distribution of wealth so that each member can benefit financially. In fact, the Air Force Academy already has an agreement with the league. Sources say the academy is expected to receive at least a $10 million signing bonus. At least one other school, UNLV, is also expected to receive a similar financial benefit.
With the Pac-12 looking to add more members, commissioner Gloria Nevarez set a deadline of 5 p.m. Mountain Time for the letter of intent to be signed, which passed without UNLV signing.
The agreement with the Mountain West involves the conference maintaining eight full members, the minimum threshold to be considered an NCAA FBS conference. Utah State’s departure brings the league to seven full members (Hawaii is a football-only associate member). With the addition of Utah State, the Pac-12 also has seven full members.
In an effort to rebuild the conference, Oregon State and Washington State last week implemented the first phase of a multi-phase expansion plan to add Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State. The teams would join the league in July 2026 and each would owe the Mountain West an exit fee of at least $17 million.
The number of Pac-12 and Mountain West contenders is dwindling. UNLV’s situation in Nevada is interesting. The Nevada System of Higher Education and its Board of Regents govern both schools and must approve any conference affiliation decisions. Current Governor Joe Lombard is a UNLV alumnus. University of Nevada, Reno, President Brian Sandoval served two terms as governor and commands respect and power among the Board of Regents.
As for the Mountain West, the league needs to secure members from Conference USA’s UTEP to FCS Tarleton State before agreeing to terms with expansion targets.
