Conference Realignment: Updates On The Latest Movement And What’s Next

The college football finds itself in its latest round of never-ending conference realignment with plenty of twists and turns still coming. Last week, the Pac-12 board of directors unanimously approved applications from Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State from the Mountain West for the 2026-27 season.

With those four set to join the current two-team Pac-12 that consists of Oregon State and Washington State, the conference still needs to add at least two more. The conference received a two-year grace period to increase to the NCAA’s minimum requirement of eight teams by July 2026.

The Pac-12 underwent a mass exodus this offseason when 10 of the 12 programs officially exited for the Big Ten, ACC or Big 12. Oregon State and Washington State programs reached a scheduling agreement for the 2024 season where they’ll play six Mountain West teams this fall.

Who will the Pac-12 target?

All eyes should be looking at the AAC because that’s where a lot of the value is in the Pac-12’s shopping spree. Top options include Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, North Texas and USF. Texas State might be worth a look from the Sun Belt. It’s unlikely the Pac-12 takes more from the Mountain West and if it does, that clearly wasn’t plan A because that would’ve happened already. The only exception would be if UNLV is hesitant due to its desire to stick with Nevada. That could end up being a package deal unless UNLV goes in solo.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the Clemson and Florida State legal battles with the ACC because if they’re able to get out of their grant-of-rights agreement that runs through June 30, 2036, other programs may be on the move as well. Cal and Stanford are in their first year in the ACC but would be home run additions for the Pac-12.

MORE FOR YOU
Apple’s Update Decision—Bad News Confirmed For Millions Of iPhone Users
BlackRock Reveals It’s Quietly Preparing For A $35 Trillion Federal Reserve Dollar Crisis With Bitcoin—Predicted To Spark A Sudden Price Boom
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Thursday, September 19th

What about the Mountain West?

Leaving out the four Pac-12-bound programs, the Mountain West still has the required eight members with Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming. However, there’s no guarantee everybody will stick around considering the brand’s value took a big hit after losing four of the conference’s top programs.

It will be interesting to see how aggressive other conferences are in poaching the remaining Mountain West teams, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Air Force emerged as a serious target for the AAC, which already has Army and Navy.

Conference realignment tracker

Fifteen FBS teams switched conferences between the 2023 and 2024 college football seasons, and here’s a look at the upcoming changes with more to be added to the list soon:

• Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State are moving from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 before the 2026 season.
• Delaware is moving from the Coastal Athletic Association at the FCS level to the FBS’ Conference USA before the 2025 season.
• Missouri State is moving from the Missouri Valley Football Conference at the FCS level to the FBS’ Conference USA before the 2025 season.