Pac 12 Turns the Tables on the Mountain West

we're Americans we love comebacks we love the comeback story is this the greatest comeback in the history of college football the two team conference of Washington state and Oregon state is targeting Boise State San Diego State Colorado State and Fresno State is new additions in a reimagine pack 12 those schools are expected to soon apply or have already applied for membership into the conference the first step in the process to complete the deal they would join the League starting with the 2026 school year commissioner Teresa Gould and officials from the Pack 12 has spent the last year examining possible options for their future after 10 schools left the league for the Big 10 the Big 12 in the ACC they have long held the belief that they can preserve the Pack 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 multiphase expansion Endeavor to reach at the very least eight schools because that's the ncaa's minimum required to qualifies as an FBS conference if the aforementioned four join the league needs two more to complete the process simple math it must reach the minimum of of those schools by July of 2026 to end uh the end of the nca's 2-year grace period okay that is key the pack 12's board must approve any membership applications and is expected to do so soon the deal could be finalized by the end of the week the expansion is not inexpensive each Mountain West School is contractually bound to a $17 million exit fee I saw 18 reported somewhere else the Pack 12 is on the hook for an additional 10 to 12 million penalty fee for every school they require as part of a scheduling agreement the conference struck with the Mountain West so that is 27 to $29 million per school after months of examining future options League officials determined to reimagine the conference with an expansion approach in NE negotiations with potential new members Pack 12 officials and third parties have presented a plan that features a new media rights agreement worth more than the Mountain West Conference current or future television package as well as the sponsorship potential of the Pack 12 brand the two schools offer attractive assets meaning Washington State and Oregon State that could total Millions as a result of the 10 schools departing the conference including monies from the rose bow contract college football playoff the NCA basketball tournament units and Pack 12 Enterprises previously the Pack 12 Network the league lost its designation as an autonomous power conference a moniker that gave it more voting privileges within the NCA governance and more Revenue in the cfp distribution model although let's keep in mind that Washington State and Oregon State are receiving a cut it is unclear if the conference could regain such a designation during Pack 12 media days in Las Vegas in July gold hosted me media members administrators coaches and players for a gathering to celebrate the conference projecting a bright future and suggesting a potential rebuild quote there's a lot of interest in having a high level conference rooted on the west coast she told Yahoo sports then quote there's a lot of interest in our communities and fan bases a lot of people care deeply about the Pack 12 and the Pack 12 brand there's a lot of nostalgia about the possibility of a rebuild the pw's first expansion phase considers Geographic and cultural significance while serving a blow to the Rival Mountain West the Mountain West Conference of 12 team football league counting Hawaii would lose some of its top brands despite a scheduling alliance with the Pack 12 that many projected to end with a reverse merger or a merger with Oregon State and Washington State that's why this is so intriguing among other things however earlier this month negotiations broke down between the Pack 12 and Mountain West over adding a second year to the 2024 football scheduling Alliance a fight that most notably involved Financial differences according to those with knowledge of the talks the move by the pack 12 could ignite another round of realignment at least for those schools at the group of five or even FCS level in needing to fill departures the Mountain West is likely to evaluate possible members to elevate to FBS the pw's move may have another ripple effect on a grander stage the college football playoff given the departures in the Pack 12 cfp leaders last year voted to change the 12 team expanded playoff format they removed one automatic qualifying spot going from five to four 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 P 12 Champion is not eligible for an automatic qualifying spot as it does not meet the cf's conference minimum requirement however starting in 2026 the champion of a rebuilt Pack 12 would presumably big word there be eligible to receive an automatic bid Washington State Oregon State so it's been kind of comical to see that this pack 12 has become a pack two and why in the world would they stay together when everybody is left and these two schools or so we may have thought would be trying to save themselves and moving on to somewhere else whether that be Mountain West or the Big 12 and I have certainly proposed that side of what could be the future that result Washington State Oregon State lead what is left of the pack 122 and completely disbanding the conference to nothing and the conference implodes and is no longer in existence let's understand that even though the Pack 12 does not play football this year does not play athletics it is still technically an entity as outlined in this article so while that has been something that I've thrown out there as well looks like Washington Oregon State are going to have to find the best home possible which looks like it would be the big 12 and probably will wind out being the Mountain West Conference let's also understand there is a reason why there is still a Pack 12 there still is a Pack 12 commissioner uh so the league did did did not disband and still has assets so that's been a talking point that we've gone over because on a sports level and on the surface it appears ridiculous to have two teams in a league that are actually not in a league in a practical sense this football season they're just floating out there and they just cut a deal to the Pack 12 but behind the scenes and under the surface the Pack 12 is still operating as an entity with all the assets that we have read about and also it was not Washington State in Oregon state that cut that contract deal with the Mountain West it's not like they reached out to the Mountain West and cut a deal between the mwc and those two schools and they just happen to cut the same deal no that was a pack conference deal with the Mountain West so while on the field the pack has been dead and presumed dead and gone it's not as an entity and this is proof of it right there so there has been reason for the pack conference to stay together for them to maintain a commissioner and two teams because lo and behold they are rising from the ashes and I love it it is good to see I don't like it for the Mountain West I do not like it for the Mountain West and there can be all sorts of models that we can put together of what this could look like we know that it's going to be six in the Pack 12 of course they need to get to eight of course they've got other candidates in mind and most of those candidates you would think will be coming from the Mountain West Conference so just because they did not offer an invitation initially to any of their schools did not mean Allah other conference expansion that they will not offer other schools they probably want to get to 12 they obviously want to take in schools that are going to add value and not just hit a number but I believe they would like to get to 12 yeah I think they're waiting to see what happens with the ACC I I think this is the best move you can make if you're organ State and Washington State it's not the move fans want to make they want to get into the Big 12 of the ACC that's not happening happening in the short term or else that's the Avenue they would pursue you go and get these particular schools for for a couple different reasons in a in a threein one sort of bucket the three is Boise State Fresno State San Diego State from a football branding standpoint are the clearcut top three teams you would take from the Mountain West there is no fourth that you automatically lump in and so why would they land on Colorado State probably because they're in the Fort Collins area which captures at least some of the Denver media Market that's my guess Denver I think is a top 20ish top 20 top 30 media Market in the country that's probably why they landed on them over UNLV now my suspicion is that they have a couple Mountain West schools on standby here because Pack 12 makes this announcement they do not have to announce who their next two schools are going to be until next summer they could take all the time that they want it's important I think that they make this first move so that they have a selling point to schools that they're going to try to Allure I would pick up the phone and call teams of the American and see if they're interested they might not be but I would pick up and call teams in the sun Bel conference for instance and say hey if we want to expand our reach down south do we go into the sunb belt do we grab Texas state for instance who have got a really strong football program at the moment I I don't see why that's not an appealing option if you're going to throw geography to the win but I suspect they have a couple Mountain West schools waiting on standby to form the best you know Pack 12 that they can with only Mountain West teams but what they're waiting for is the ACC if chaos ensues in the ACC which is possible but I think likely the most likely scenario is Clemson and Florida State leave and then the ACC just continues as is but if any of those ACC schools become available you would take any of them any of them over Another Mountain West team in two seconds or less that's what you would do so the Pack 12 is now going to wait they've made this announcement this is a really good first step for them but they have to get to they have to get at least two more schools by July 1st 2026 before they can actually be a conference so they're going to wait and say Hey what if K and Stanford become available because the ACC does a Pack 12 and ceases to exist or what if they decide they don't like being in the ACC and they're able to get out and they'd rather come you know play in a more regionally based conference you take Ken Stanford again in two seconds what about SMU they want to be in the best conference possible what if they don't like I imagine they'd want to stay in the ACC but if the ACC implodes then they become available or Syracuse or Wake Forest the Boston College a pit you look around probably not pit they'd go to the big 12 but I I think that for Oregon State and Washington State this and the Pack 12 is six teams right now it's going to have to get to at least eight I would call American Conference schools like tlane see if Memphis would be interested or UTSA and maybe have those two schools come over and say hey let's build a G5 League whose conference champ is going to get in to the college football playoff every single year because we're so much better that's what the pitch has to be with two lane and UTSA for instance see that as sufficiently appealing I don't know I don't know that's the honest answer I don't know probably not but it's not impossible for them to theorize hey if we leave with Our Brands the American it's now significantly weaker and so their conference champ will have a chance to get the G5 playoff birth but it won't be as strong of a chance as a League that's got Oregon State and Washington State who are still looking like strong programs I mean for goodness sake look what Washington State just did to Texas Tech on Saturday they blasted him into Oblivion John matier a quarterback ran for almost 200 yards if you go into that league and you get it to 10 to 12 schools like just hypothetically the six that you have in the Pack 12 currently with the four new Mountain West teams if you add tane UTSA let's say North Texas and rice you start to take a foothold down south you've got a significantly weaker American Conference that is essentially Memphis and South Florida and that conference champ is going to have a tough time getting in over a conference champ who's had to battle San Diego State Boise State Fresno State Colorado State Oregon state Washington State so that's the shortest explanation that I can give on that no and it's a good one and it's a lot that we covered uh this morning in regards to but without the ACC slant on actually the implosion because man I just got to think that there's a layer of Louisville Virginia Tech NC State if they can't get to a big 10 or an SEC and sec would be more likely that that's where the big 12 wants to go with pit as you mentioned uh and then Stanford Cal they weigh their options in regards to do we come back to the West Coast we're much kinder to all of our Olympic sports we keep everything on the west coast we're more aligned out here and if the television deal is anything close to what the ACC is um the new ACC the Trimm down ACC then Stanford and Cal could come back yeah and I I I think academically Cal and Stanford have an inherent disposition towards rejoining the Pack 12 they like Oregon State and Washington state of course they were with them for a long time but being in the same conference which is about football yes but other things as well with Boise State Fresno State Colorado State and San Diego State is fine yeah but I don't know how that's going to go over with the K Stanford Boards of Regents maybe now maybe and yeah vers yeah versus Duke North Carolina wake wake yeah like these are this is this Georgia Tech is in the ACC uh Virginia yeah like this is not um these two things are not the same and so if those considerations weigh heavily on the Bears and the Cardinal they'll stay in the ACC no matter what if they prioritize football more or if they don't like the travel then maybe they'd return I I wouldn't hold out for that option as being the most likely scenario for the Pack 12 to be able to get K Stanford to come crawling back but is it worth taking a look yes because they have the time they don't have to make an announcement on that front right now they've gotten to six they'll need at least two more but they can wait and see this can drag out well into 2025 and I I think that that's the most likely outcome here is they wait and see what happens do FSU and Clemson get out if they don't then okay we go back to our G5 options and we figure out which two schools we're we're going to take but even if there's a 1% chance that you could wind up getting Callum Stanford back you absolutely go out and you you know explore the path that gives you that option stay tuned here with the voice of college football and we are going to run down the candidacy of possible entries to the new pack 12 to join Boise State Fresno State San Diego State and Colorado State whether those come from the Mountain West or other group of five conferences or how about the ACC stay tuned to conference realignment talk right here at the voice of college football