Pac-12 Expansion: Which Schools Could Join Next? Potential Candidates Revealed!। USA TODAY NEWS

[Music] this week saw the return of conference realignment forces after a short but very welcome Hiatus it was announced late on Wednesday night that Boise State San Diego State Colorado State and Fresno State from the Mountain West would be joining the Pack 12 which currently only consisted of Oregon State and Washington State these announcements were formally verified the next morning the Mountain West the only other FBS conference whose membership is based in the western most time zones of the nation and the remains of the Pack 12 were long anticipated to combine in one way or another but after being ripped apart the previous two years the Pack 12 became a predator when the two conferences failed to renew their football scheduling agreement Beyond this season opinion the the addition of Mountain West institutions to the Pack 12 raises the bar for meaninglessness in college sports the Pack 12 which now consists of six institutions is unlikely to remain unchanged particularly in light of the nca's requirement that a conference have eight members in order to be classified as an FBS League the pack 12's decision to include the four Mountain West institutions is described by Yahoo sports as the first phase in a multiphase expansion Endeavor suggesting that the league reorganization is just getting started where will the Pack 12 go in its ongoing efforts to bolster its membership the following eight additions would be appropriate for the League's reconfiguration prospects for Pack 12 Conference expansion Memphis the tigers are likely the most desired or overdue for a moveup school that isn't current ly in one of the power four conferences in a community that is passionate about Hoops they have a legendary basketball program that often performs in front of sizable home audiences situated in a talented region of the nation their football program has won at least 10 games in four of the last nine complete seasons FedEx which has promised to provide $25 million over the next 5 years to help memphis's n initiatives is financially supporting them ultimately the Tigers may have to decide whether a certain move is really worthwhile the Pack 12 has changed throughout time and its winner is no longer guaranteed a spot in the college football playoffs would it make sense to transfer from the American Athletic Conference to a conference that on paper is just slightly Superior to Lane for some of the same reasons it would make sense for Memphis a long-standing league partner from its days in the Metro the USA and now the AAC the greenwave who had only seen brief spurts of football success since leaving the SEC in the 1960s have gone 23 to5 in their last two complete seasons and seem well positioned to carry on that run with John sual as coach Tain would bring a rich private institution with a large alumni base and a Metropolis New Orleans the green W are asking themselves the same thing that Memphis is does it make sense to go to a western conference UNLV the rebels exclusion from the group of Mountain West universities the Pack 12 added was maybe the greatest surprise in the past 40 years unlv's men's basketball team has won a national title meanwhile the football team which is playing well this year and finished 9 to5 last season is off to a two start in 2024 including a 277 whipping of Houston Las Vegas a top 40 television market May Aid the Pack 12 in its efforts to make up for recent losses of schools in Los Angeles Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area even if Market size isn't as important as it was in earlier rounds of realignment UTSA it's hardly the worst idea for a league trying to strengthen and its football credentials to have a presence in Texas the road runners if any are among the best non power four Alternatives available in that state since entering the FBS in 2012 utsa's football program has seen a medeor Ascent going 32 to9 in its previous three full seasons Under head coach Jeff triler it's situated in a significant media Market much like many of the previously named universities but unlike New Orleans or Las Vegas San Antonio only has one professional team that the institution must compete with for media attention North Texas which lies roughly 40 Mi north of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex would also make sense if the Pack 12 is determined to enter the Texas Market New Mexico the Lobos are located in Albuquerque one of the 35 largest cities in the US and they represent the big biggest university in a state without a professional team they are a geographical match for the league in addition to having a historically excellent basketball program and a devoted local fan base that consistently places them in the top 20 schools in college in terms of attendance despite having just two Bowl trips in its football program since 2018 the school recently signed Bronco mendenhal as coach menen Hall has a successful track record from his time at Virginia and BYU aircraft force with only nine losing Seasons since 1982 the Falcons football program has been an example of consistent success since the early 1980s that streak includes 24 seasons with at least eight victories and 10 seasons with at least 10 despite its location it probably doesn't affect the Denver media market for the C conference because Colorado State already assists with that however the university presidents who are in charge of choosing who to invite may find the idea of including a service Academy to be very alluring Utah State despite being the third most well-known University in a smaller state with two power force schools already the agies are well-liked and successful in both football and basketball have 10 bowl births in the last 11 complete seasons and in basketball they have four trips to the NCAA tournament in the last six seasons and the Mountain West Title in 2023 to the 2024 the FCS Titans this classification encompasses North Dakota State South Dakota State Montana and Montana State for the sake of conciseness together the Dakota schools have won 11 of the last 13 FCS championships Montana has won two national tit Titles since 1995 qualifying for the final game the previous year 3 years ago Montana State made it to the title game while there are unquestionably some shining examples some institutions have had difficulty switching from FCS to FBS despite their accomplishments the four FCS schools indicated above would be financially lagging behind the four newcomers from the Mountain West who all invest much more in football according to the most current US Department of Education statistics Montana State the most spending of the four FCS schools spent just around half of what Fresno State the lowest spending of the four Mountain West deections spent on football these four universities would have to decide whether taking a wage increase would be worth giving up their chance to be a consistent competitor for championships