 |
| Memphis Tigers athletics |
The never-ending saga of conference realignment in college athletics took yet another twist last week, when the Pac-12 announced they were bringing in four schools from the Mountain West in advance of the 2026-27 academic year. The four - Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State - in essence bring the league back from the dead after its collapse saw 10 of 12 universities head elsewhere, with only Oregon State and Washington State still around when the dust settled. The details will still need to be ironed out, but one thing appear certain: the conference is not going to stop at six schools. It seems almost a foregone conclusion they'll look to expand further, and there are interesting possibilities that dot the college football landscape from coast-to-coast. With this additional realignment, it's time to break down where the league may go next, and which schools would be the best fit in this new era of Pac-12 athletics.
Tulane Green Wave
Geography will be of little importance to the Pac-12 as they look to bolster their ranks. We do, after all, live in a world where Cal and Stanford currently play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With that in mind, I firmly expect the Pac-12 to go shopping in the American Athletic, and Tulane certainly is one of the most appealing options. The addition of the Green Wave would expand the Pac-12's geographic footprint into the Southeast (seriously, what a ridiculous world we live in) by bringing in an elite academic institution. It doesn't hurt, either, that Tulane has experienced something of a renaissance on the gridiron in recent years and seems well-positioned to continue that momentum nestled in fertile recruiting grounds. Add in a wealthy alumni base, Tulane checks just about every major box you could hope for in an expansion candidate.
Memphis Tigers
Along with Tulane, Memphis is the AAC school that seems to be gaining the most traction for a Pac-12 move. Much like Tulane, the addition of Memphis would allow the Pac-12 to expand their geographic footprint into a valuable part of the country, and the school has a proven track record of success in both football and basketball over the past two decades. Perhaps most importantly, Memphis has upgraded their facilities in a major way in recent years and become a major player in the NIL space, landing a 5-year, $25 million deal with FedEx that should make them a significant player in this new-look college sports landscape. It always felt like it was only a matter of time before Memphis made the jump to a power conference, and with neither the ACC or Big 12 showing interest at the moment, the Pac-12 has become their most likely route.
South Florida Bulls
Could the state of Florida really be in play for the Pac-12? If so, South Florida would represent an extremely attractive option who is trending in the right direction in the realignment race. Being located in Tampa and appearing to be on the rise on the football field under Alex Golesh are two positives to consider, but it's elsewhere that differentiates USF from the competition. The school is building a brand new, on-campus stadium that comes with a hefty price tag of $340 million and is set to conveniently open in 2027. An indoor performance facility, that cost over $22 million, was unveiled in fall of 2022, along with a $3 million football locker room renovation. South Florida also recently acquired membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), which has long been a key factor in realignment decisions among college athletics decision-makers. They seem to be preparing for a jump at some time in the near future, and their timeline matches up perfectly well with the Pac-12.
UNLV Rebels
The new Pac-12 may have gone into the Mountain West and snatched away four of the most prominent programs in the league, but they may not be done just yet. If they were to further raid the conference, UNLV has to be the next logical route. Needless to say, Las Vegas is booming as a sports destination, and the Pac-12 has long looked for a way to break into its market, hosting their conference tournaments in basketball at T-Mobile Arena since 2017. It seems only right that the Pac-12 would look to UNLV as a bridge into one of the most valuable sports markets in the country, one that actually makes sense geographically. The timing is right, too, with UNLV football off to one of their best starts in program history this fall, which could help them make the sell to Pac-12 brass.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Beyond UNLV, Air Force would likely be the most attractive option available to the Pac-12 still left on the board. But in recent days, rumors have swirled that Air Force and the American Athletic Conference may have mutual interest, which would bring the final service academy into the fold alongside Army and Navy. Considering that recent development, Nevada may represent the Mountain West school most likely to join their in-state brethren in the Pac-12, if only because of their relationship with UNLV. The two schools are part of the same university system after all, and it would be difficult for the Rebels to make the jump without bring the Wolf Pack along for the ride. Nevada certainly is not as valuable and doesn't have a long history of success in either football or basketball, but they have been a respectable athletics program for much of the last two decades. For lack of a better term, they could be something of a filler for the conference, depending on how successful they are trying to reel in other big fish.
UTSA Roadrunners
Expanding into the state of Texas seems to be a likely destination for the Pac-12, and actually makes some sense from a geographic perspective. But, which schools would be the most attractive? UTSA is one with ample potential, a school that is trending upwards on both the football field and basketball court who is making major upgrades to their athletic facilities. In fact, the school announced earlier in the year that they planned to invest $57 million into facilities and capital projects related to UTSA athletics, including a new volleyball and basketball training facility. The San Antonio market also has to be attractive for the Pac-12 in a diverse part of the country. With all that being said, UTSA is a "new" school as compared to others on this list, established in 1969, and their football program is just over a decade old. The Pac-12 could certainly talk themselves into the Roadrunners being the exciting up-and-comer, but those could be portrayed as negatives just as easily.
Rice Owls
Elite academics may not matter a whole lot to the average college sports fan, but you better believe it will matter to Pac-12 power brokers. A school like Rice, who has struggled in recent years to build winners in football or basketball, may not be the first choice for the league, but does offer incentives. Nestled in Houston, Rice would again grant the Pac-12 access to a major market that is projected to continue growing in the coming years in one of the most football rich areas of the country. More importantly, it has an extremely active and wealthy alumni base that, if harnessed correctly, could certainly make the Owls quite the force in the NIL landscape. Of course, those factors haven't combined in a way that has made Rice super competitive during their time in the C-USA and American Athletic, but for a Pac-12 that will be without Cal and Stanford, landing a big-name academic institution like this could be a possibility.
North Texas Mean Green
Yet another potential university from the Lone Star State and the American Athletic, North Texas has long been considered a potential sleeping giant among the Group of Five. The school has excellent facilities for its level and has seen periods of success in both major sports, football and basketball, over the course of the last decade. They are also a growing university located in Denton, Texas, just outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex that is loaded with elite high school talent. And, the school does have history playing in a West Coast conference, as they spent time in the Big West in the late 1990s, although that is unlikely to swing the needle super far in their direction. But, much like UTSA, the Pac-12 could sell this one as a promising up-and-comer in the right state for the league to expand into.
Gonzaga Bulldogs & Saint Mary's Gaels
There is, of course, a major caveat adding these two schools to the list considering that neither have a football program and they would almost certainly come in as non-football additions. It's a fun pipe dream, imagining two of college basketball's most consistent programs taking the leap to another conference, but it's almost certainly not going to happen. For one, are we sure the Pac-12 would represent a significant upgrade over the West Coast Conference? San Diego State, Boise State, and Colorado State have all been strong Mountain West programs for years, but the WCC has also upgraded in a major way in recent times, even with BYU's recent jump to the Big 12. More importantly, football truly is king, and drives everything these days in college athletics. Simply look at the UConn-Big 12 situation - despite being the best program in college basketball right now, UConn's inability to put together a winning product on the gridiron has left Big 12 presidents to shun the Huskies, at least for the time being. Adding two basketball-only schools just would not move the needle for the Pac-12, even with Gonzaga being one of the biggest brands in college basketball. But maybe, just maybe, Oregon State and Washington State's burgeoning relationship with these two could play a role, as OSU and WSU will be conference mates with them in the WCC as affiliate members for the next two years.
The FCS Schools
The FBS has robbed several big-name FCS programs over the years, with the likes of Appalachian State, James Madison, Sam Houston State, and more parlaying their on-field success into the next level. Could the Pac-12 choose to do the same? North Dakota State and South Dakota State would be the big names, considering their dominance on the football field and on the basketball court, but the Montana schools and Eastern Washington could also theoretically be in play. But, much like the Gonzaga and Saint Mary's scenario, this feels more like a pipe dream than serious possibility. For all their success, none of those schools bring significant markets to the equation nor are major universities with a large alumni base. They don't expand the geographic profile of the conference in a significant way, either, and don't fit in academically, either. More realistically, they could be in play for the Mountain West, which will be eager to fill gaps now that four schools are officially gone and Air Force could also soon be on the move.
No comments:
Post a Comment