The conference realignment arms race between the Pac-12 and Mountain West continued Tuesday, with each signing up a new future member.
The Pac-12 added Gonzaga, which currently competes in the West Coast Conference and does not have a football team, while the Mountain West added the University of Texas at El Paso from Conference USA. The moves, like the others made in recent weeks, will take effect in 2026.
Here’s where things stand now in those two conferences:
- Pac-12: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga (no football), Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Washington State
- Mountain West: Air Force, Hawai‘i (partial member), Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP, and Wyoming
That gives both conferences seven full-time, football-playing members. Each needs at least eight schools to retain their FBS status—the Pac-12 by 2026, and the Mountain West by 2028. Other programs that could still be targeted include the Mid-American Conference’s Northern Illinois and Toledo, the Sun Belt’s Texas State, and C-USA’s New Mexico State.
Efforts to become the top non–Power 4 conference will have major ramifications in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
Power Couple
Amid college football’s evolving landscape, the Big Ten and SEC remain focused on asserting their own dominance over the sport.
The commissioners of the Big Ten and SEC, as well as the conferences’ athletic directors, will discuss a possible partnership in football scheduling next week during meetings in Nashville, according to ESPN. The talks will follow the February formation of the Big Ten–SEC joint advisory group, comprising university presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors.
It was the Big Ten and SEC’s strong relationship that led to the CFP solidifying its next iteration, which will apply between 2026 and 2031.
