Pac-12 still grappling with further expansion ahead of relaunch

With the Pac-12 set for its relaunch on July 1, the one “lingering” question is whether the conference will “expand again,” according to Jon Wilner of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Pac-12 execs have acknowledged that an additional all-sports member “would create the ideal size.” But Wilner noted when the issue surfaced recently at Washington State and Colorado State, “responses from key voices hinted that further expansion is unlikely,” as the “standards are lofty and the options limited.” The desire to expand again is “rooted in scheduling, particularly on the football side.” With nine schools, each team could play eight games in round-robin fashion and have four spots available for non-conference matchups. But with eight schools in 2026, each team will play a seven-game round-robin schedule to determine the order-of-finish and a second game against one of the other teams that will not count in the standings. Industry analysts indicated that there is “only one expansion scenario” that potentially could “add material financial value to the Pac-12: a full-scale assimilation of the American conference for Memphis, Tulane and South Florida.” But Wilner noted the trio declined the Pac-12’s overtures in September 2024 and “seems unlikely to reverse course.” Otherwise, there are “no viable options financially for all-sports members.” With the NFL attempting to renegotiate its media deals, the notion that any Pac-12 expansion candidate would prompt one of its media partners to “offer enough revenue to satisfy current members approaches laughable” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 5/12).