“Pac-12 Expansion Drama: MWC Teams Say ‘Thanks, But No Thanks!’ More Details As It Comes

It’s been a whirlwind day for the Pac-12, now just a shadow of its former self, and the Mountain West Conferences. Currently, only Washington State and Oregon State represent the Pac-12, which must add six more teams by Summer 2026 to meet NCAA requirements.

Two weeks ago, the Pac-12 secured commitments from Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State, forming what fans affectionately dubbed a “6-Pac.” To qualify for future College Football Playoffs, they need two additional schools.

Today, however, four programs from the American Athletic Conference were offered invitations but chose to remain with the 15-team AAC.

The Pac-12 Expansion Saga Continues With MWC Programs Declining Invites

5 MWC Schools Join Pac-12

The Mountain West established a deadline of 5:00 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time for its member schools to sign a new Grant of Rights and confirm their commitment to the conference. When that deadline arrived, five schools had not signed and opted to leave for the Pac-12:

• Boise State (Sept 12)
• Fresno State (Sept 12)
• San Diego State (Sept 12)
• Colorado State (Sept 12)
• Utah State

3 MWC Schools Stay Home

• Air Force
• UNLV
• San Jose State

4 MWC Schools Still Up in the Air

• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Wyoming
• Hawai’i (football only)

Now What?

Now that things have settled, the Pac-12 consists of seven programs: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Washington State.

Once these changes take effect in 2026, the Mountain West will also be left with seven programs, provided the four uncertain schools return: Air Force, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming.

To meet the necessary eight-team requirement, the Mountain West will need to add at least one more school. Two potential candidates being discussed are UTEP from Conference USA and Tarleton State from the FCS, both of which would be geographically sensible additions.

Ultimately, college football needs to adopt a more national approach. The ongoing turbulence of teams switching conferences to form new nationwide alliances is unsustainable. While the concept of a College Football Super League was initially poorly conceived, there are better solutions out there.

The Pac-12 has significantly diminished, and the Mountain West must now rely on UNLV and Air Force as its top programs. Furthermore, the potential challenges facing the ACC, particularly if Clemson and Florida State fulfill their ambitions, could disrupt the landscape even further.

So, which programs will each conference pursue next?