LOGAN — Amid the swirling chaos of conference re-alignment, Utah State has, for once, received an invite to be part of a shift upward in a conference instead of being left behind. According to multiple reports, USU is expected to receive an invite to the Pac-12 Monday evening and is also expected to accept that invitation according to reports from numerous outlets.
Reports from ESPN, NBC, and Yahoo Sports among others on Monday evening confirmed reports earlier in the evening from many of the same sources (Action Network among the early reporters) that indicated USU would receive and accept the invite. This would put the Aggies in the partially rebuild Pac-12 which, aside from USU, currently consists of Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State.
Utah State has agreed to join the new Pac-12, sources tell @YahooSports, becoming the 7th member. League needs one more *full* member to meet NCAA requirements. As for partial members, Pac-12 has held talks with Gonzaga (bball only) & UConn (FB only), sources tell @YahooSports.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 24, 2024
Of course, this invite only came after many of the Pac-12’s top targets in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and elsewhere in the Mountain West didn’t opt to take the offer from the rebuilding pacific conference. Earlier today, the AAC officially released a statement which announced that Pac-12 expansion target institutions Memphis, South Florida, UTSA and Tulane would not join the conference, but would remain in the AAC.
We are the American Athletic Conference. pic.twitter.com/nuwCtF0dQz
— The American (@American_Conf) September 23, 2024
“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other,” the joint statement from the four schools and the AAC said.
Previous reporting from outlets such as CBS, ESPN and Yahoo Sports had indicated that if the AAC schools decided to stay put, the Pac-12 would turn its eyes on UNLV, Air Force and Utah State. And that turned out to be the case.
Monday afternoon was filled with reports and rumors of offers from the Pac-12 coming to the three Mountain West schools and the attempts from MW commissioner Gloria Nevarez to stop any more schools from leaving. According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, the intent of Nevarez was to get the remaining teams to sign a five-year grant of rights to make sure the MW could go to market for a new TV deal.
To incentivize schools, particularly UNLV and Air Force, to stay in the Mountain West, Pete Thamel of ESPN said the conference was looking to give one-time payments to schools. Those payments would likely have come from the expected $111 million (now likely more) coming from the Pac-12 to the Mountain West through buyouts and other fees from teams currently expected to leave. Per Yahoo Sports, the Falcons were expected to get a bonus of at least $10 million with UNLV likely to get a similar payout.
Air Force and UNLV reportedly affirmed their commitment to the Mountain West on Monday, likely with the help of those incentives, but when reports of Utah State leaving for the Pac-12 came out that commitment waivered. According to Thamel, UNLV’s commitment had not only not been finalized, but was also contingent on the Mountain West staying at eight schools, which would have had to include Utah State. With that out of the question, the Rebels are “continuing to explore options” per Thamel.
Sources: In the wake of Utah State’s commitment to the Pac-12, UNLV’s commitment to the Mountain West has not been formalized. The school send in an MOU to the Mountain West, but that was predicated on all eight schools committing. The school is continuing to explore options.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 24, 2024
Both the Mountain West and the Pac-12 are currently not at the minimum number of full-time member institutions required to be recognized as conferences, at least as it stands with all pending moves counted as of now. The NCAA minimum is eight and the Pac-12 is only at seven while the Mountain West is down to six (Air Force, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming, New Mexico and San Jose State with Hawai’i as a part-time member). Further expansion for both conferences is required and the feud between them for supremacy, and for possible expansion targets elsewhere, will be ongoing in the coming days and/or weeks.
One other potential target for the Pac-12 is West Coast Conference (WCC) powerhouse Gonzaga. Action Network reported earlier in the day that the Bulldogs were leaving the WCC and joining the Pac-12, though it would not included adding a football program, which Gonzaga currently does not have.
Gonzaga leaving West Coast Conference to join Pac-12, source told @ActionNetworkHQ. Pac-12 still needs minimum of two football members by 2026, but Gonzaga, even w/out a football team, will receive a full conference revenue share in Pac-12, source said
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 23, 2024
This report was widely refuted, however. Not that the Pac-12 and Gonzaga were not having talks, but that nothing had been finalized as of Monday and no further reports of the Bulldogs making a move to a new conference have come forward.
