Why join the Pac-12? What schools could be targeted next? What’s next for Mountain West? | Sports
Can’t say the Pac-12 is making a comeback because it never really went away. The Conference of Champions was certainly in critical condition, but Oregon State and Washington State stood fast after the league collapsed in 2023 and vowed to keep it alive if a power conference invite didn’t come. Now, the Beavers and Cougars will be joined by Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State in a reimagined Pac-12 in 2026. The latest realignment aftershock makes it four straight years where the 10 major Division I football conferences have been shaken up. Of course, more moves will now follow. The Pac-12 is still two schools short of what it needs to be a recognized conference by the NCAA in two years and the Mountain West is facing a future without four of its most valuable members, so shopping for replacements could be the next step. Why these schools? Football is the easiest answer. Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State have not only been three of the best programs in the Mountain West (nine conference championships combined since 2013) but three of the most consistent winners in the country outside those in power conferences. Colorado
