OT: Pac12 grabs 4 MW teams

[4th&long]

Pac12 grabs 4 MW teams - we discussed this possibility on some thread on the board.  Was thinking this was going to happen esp after no sch agreement in 2025 was reached by the two conferences.

Little surprised that Boise St jumped but glad.  The other 3 totally make sense.  This way they avoid merging with the weaker less desirable MW teams.  I can see UTSA or Texas St jumping in as well,   Get in Texas and SA is another large Mkt  They need 8 teams to maintain NCAA status.

SD, Denver, Fresno are sizable TV markets and Boise St has a long time higher level program amoung G5 teams.

Perhaps more MW teams like UNLV and NM Lobos - in Vegas and Albuquerque - larger TV markets. 

Was reading that CW was looking for a conf to be a Primary TV channel, they may be ponying up a TV contract.  Don't count out Fox and Amazon.  Perhaps TNT/TBS

IMO - the MW comissioner - should have looked to merge and split off the weaker schools (AF, U St, Hawaii, Nevada). 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... -rebuilds/

>>Pac-12 poaches Mountain West schools to join Oregon State, Washington State as conference rebuilds

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State will join the conference in 2026 <<
 

[BattleHawks]

1. Boise has been wanting to jump for years, they were by far the most likely to leave
2. CW signed the PAC-2 for this season and has been thrilled with the results, they are by far the most likely to grab the next media deal
2. Air Force is not "weak" they have been the second best MWC team ( especially over the last 5 years ) so the rumors that they want to join Army & Navy in the AAC are the most likely reason they weren't invited

[MGB01]

CW doesn't have the stature/viewership to be primary anything, it's why Oregon State and Wazzu's two biggest non-cons (Civil War, Leach Bowl) are/were on FOX--this could be a down payment towards a FOX deal in 2026, right when the MWC contract is up. Boise being the key add here. In the last two deals they had either the majority or entirety of their games on the blue turf on either ESPN or FOX. They're not leaving the Mountain West (which this year has a prime time CG spot) to be LIV golf.

CBS might look at it as a complement to the B1G, the way they've always had one in some form whether it was to the SEC or even going back to when they had the Big Ten in the mid 80s (also had Pac 10), even if it was only a handful of games. They lost one of their biggest non-con draws when Notre Dame/Navy (every other year) went back to ESPN in the last AAC deal. Even if it's just basically their MWC schedule this year, which is three PCs (UCLA, Colorado, Stanford) and a service academy (Navy), they'd jump at the chance to supplement it four times a year--especially with Arizona, Missouri, and Oklahoma among others popping up in future years for FSU/SDSU/CSU.





 

[4th&long]

1. Boise has been wanting to jump for years, they were by far the most likely to leave
2. CW signed the PAC-2 for this season and has been thrilled with the results, they are by far the most likely to grab the next media deal
2. Air Force is not "weak" they have been the second best MWC team ( especially over the last 5 years ) so the rumors that they want to join Army & Navy in the AAC are the most likely reason they weren't invitedAi

 

Airforce is not bad team.  But as a Mkt for TV and the Pac-12 they are weaker than the 4 selected or UNLV, NM and others remaining in the MW

[4th&long]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... to-pac-12/

>> Air Force has emerged as a target for the American Athletic Conference amid the latest wave of conference realignment, CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd confirms. Per Dodd, the AAC has shown interest in Air Force, as well as fellow Mountain West Conference program UNLV. <<

I see AF going to AAC first and UNLV going to the Pac-12

Could MW cut a deal of some kind with Pac-12 now? A retro deal waiving fees and get more teams into Pac-12 ?

[4th&long]

Good CBS-S article on latest in G5 FBS due to PAC-12 realignment...

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... r-futures/

>>  This latest round of conference realignment has turned into a struggle for College Football Playoff access primacy. The current Mountain West is regarded as the best of the Group of Five conference and its champion would likely earn an automatic CFP bid in most years under the current format.  That was before the Mountain West was raided by the Pac-12 earlier this month. What's at stake in the future is essentially the fifth automatic bid to the new 12-team College Football Playoff. 
 The current CFP format will award the top five-ranked conference champions an automatic bid with the four highest-ranked conference champs earning a first-round bye. Most years, those byes will go to the champions of the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.
 The reinvention of the Pac-12 has made it a mad scramble for that fifth spot because no one below it is guaranteed anything. <<

[4th&long]

Well it looks like its AAC in the East/Central and Pac-12 in the West for who's the best conf.

https://apnews.com/article/conference-r ... 4691cb872c

>>  Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA announced Monday they remain committed to the American Athletic Conference after receiving overtures from the Pac-12.The four schools and the AAC released a statement that made no mention of the Pac-12, but several people with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press that the rebuilding conference had targeted the three schools as potential new members. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the Pac-12 nor the schools were making they discussions public.  <<

I think it made alot f sense for UTSA to join the Pac, and pretty good sense for Tulane and Memphis, but the exit fees are steep.  It would have been a strong conf.  I think UTSA made the most sense as they were in Texas and the closest.

I still think it makes sense for UNLV regardless of what the AAC schools do.  I think the Pac12 wanted a Texas ie Central time Zone team.   Perhaps Texas St  (SBC)and maybe N Texas (AAC).  Time will tell.
---
In other Rumor - Gonzaga is joining, likely because its staying West.

https://www.on3.com/news/report-gonzaga ... nue-share/

>> The Pac-12 reportedly has its next newest member with the partial addition of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.Per Brett McMurphy, Gonzaga is departing the West Coast Conference in order to join the Pac-12.  <<

Still need more confirmation on Zaga. 

[MGB01]

GU's played most everybody in the Pac 12 over the last decade, plus Oregon State and Washington State will play in the WCC this year and next in basketball. GU also was an affiliate member of the Pac 10 in baseball decades ago. Rothstein (CBS) says it's not happening, as of yet anyway.

Utah State apparently is (with UNLV possibly to follow):

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/sto ... ing-pac-12

Can't beat the Pac States Conference (WA State, OR State, BOI State, FR State, UT State, COL State, SD State)

[4th&long]

https://pac-12.com/news/2024/9/24/gener ... egacy.aspx

>>  Pac-12 Conference and Utah State University Unite to Advance the New Era of the 100-Year-Old Legacy

Utah State University unites alongside Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, San Diego State University, Oregon State University and Washington State University to kick off conference competition with the 2026-27 season <<

This leaves the MW with 7 lessor teams and and Pac-12 with 5 of the quality (4 best) MW teams.    Its Pac-12 vs MW but Really its MW top 5 + Pac2 vs whats left of the MW.  The MW should have worked out a reverse merger that allowed the bottom 4 or 5 to be cut loose with a fee  and free to move into AAC or Conf-USA and have the Pac12 have the rest - and that would have been Nevada, NM, Wyoming, Hawaii and San Jose cut loose.  Even if they got $20million a pop  it would have been a better move than what's essentially a family feud.

[nickp1991]

Utah State in the PAC 12 Seven members now One more