Pac-12 adding Utah State, in talks with Gonzaga, as Mountain West tries to hold UNLV

The Pac-12 is adding Utah State as its seventh member and is in discussions with basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join the rebuilding conference in 2026, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.

In a whirlwind day of maneuvering by three leagues, Utah State and UNLV of the Mountain West became prime targets for the Pac-12 after a group of American Athletic Conference schools decided to stay put, following a pitch to join the rebuilding Conference of Champions.

Utah State, based in Logan, accepted the Pac-12’s invitation, according to two people, but UNLV’s decision was uncertain Monday night as Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez worked to keep the conference’s remaining schools together.

The Mountain West received commitments from Air Force and San Jose State earlier in the day, according to two other people with knowledge of that conference’s situation, but it was unclear if anything was binding if the rest of the remaining members were not on board. Air Force had been drawing interest from the AAC to join Army and Navy in that conference.

The other Mountain West schools include New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Hawaii for football only.

The people all spoke on condition of anonymity because both Pac-12’s and Mountain West’s strategy and internal discussions were not being made public.

The Pac-12’s latest expansion addition, which was not immediately confirmed by the league, came hours after four American Athletic Conference schools announced they remained committed to the AAC.

Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA released a statement that made no mention of the Pac-12, but several people with knowledge of those talks told AP the conference had targeted those schools as potential new members.

“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 schools said. “Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future.”

The Pac-12 began to restock for a 2026 relaunch two weeks ago by landing Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State from the Mountain West to join Washington State and Oregon State, the only two Pac-12 schools left after a dramatic round of realignment took effect this summer.

The Pac-12 needed at least two more members in all sports to reach the eight required to be a recognized conference with access to NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff in 2026.

With Utah State on board, that’s down to one and the conference is exploring options beyond just UNLV.

Zags
Adding Gonzaga would give the Pac-12 one of the best men’s basketball programs in the country. The Bulldogs have thrived in the West Coast Conference, reaching the NCAA Tournament every year it has been played since 1998, with two Final Four appearances and eight seasons of at least 30 victories. Gonzaga does not have a football program.

The school has in the past talked to the Big East about conference affiliation, and the Big 12 has discussed potentially adding Gonzaga to its strong men’s basketball lineup, as it did with UConn earlier this year.

The Zags have also become a perennial tournament team in women’s basketball.

Adding Gonzaga would still leave the Pac-12 in need of another football-playing member for CFP purposes.

Money matters
One person with knowledge of the discussions between the Pac-12 and AAC schools said the conference’s pitch included a projected $12 million to $15 million annual media-rights distribution to each school. The schools were also presented with options to join solely in football and basketball to alleviate travel costs associated with other sports programs making trips across one or two times zones.

All the Pac-12 schools are in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The Pac-12 was targeting new members in the Central time zone as a way to potentially increase value for possible television partners.

Leaving the AAC would have been costly for the schools. The conference’s bylaws require a 27-month notification for departing schools and a $10 million exit fee. The required early departure would cost more.

When UConn left the AAC to return to the Big East it cost the school $17 million, but the conference received $25 million in a lump sum from SMU for an expedited move to the ACC this year.

The Pac-12 and its four newest members are already on the hook for about $110 million in exit fees and penalties to the Mountain West, a potential windfall for that conference to share with schools that choose to stay or join.

Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has declined to detail how that cost will be shared by the incoming schools and conference, which is sitting on about $250 million in revenue the previous iteration of the league was in line to receive this year and next.

A football scheduling agreement between Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West, which was not renewed for next year, includes a poaching penalty of more than $10 million per school that increases as the number of schools the Pac-12 takes increases.

The penalty will be $12 million for Utah State, and would increase to $12.5 million if UNLV also joins. That’s on top of a $17 million exit fee.