The Pac-12 is rebuilding its conference from the ground up, and the first wave of the multistep plan was to poach Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State away from the Mountain West. The Pac-12 officially added Utah State as the conference’s seventh member on Tuesday, and those five MWC programs will join the new-look conference officially on July 1, 2026.
There is still work the Pac-12 must do before the summer of 2026 to regain its status as a power conference. For starters, the Pac-12 must reach the eight-member threshold to be recognized as an official conference. The Pac-12 attempted to poach Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, and South Florida away from the AAC to reach that mark, but all four reaffirmed their commitment to remain in the conference.
So, where does the Pac-12 turn now? The Mountain West did get a signed grants-of-rights from seven of its current member institutions, including UNLV, according to Yahoo Sports. Without signatures from at least eight schools. The MWC is still in danger of dissolution, and the grant of rights is not binding — meaning that UNLV and Air Force, which has drawn interest from other schools, could still leave.
Gonzaga has been a rumored target for the Pac-12, but while the Zags have had discussions with the Pac-12, according to CBS Sports Matt Norlander, no decisions have been reached. If Gonzaga joined the Pac-12, it would be the most accomplished program from a basketball perspective, and would add a built-in West Coast rivalry with San Diego State and a geographical one with current Pac-12 members Oregon State and Washington State.
With conference realignment remaining fluid, here are six schools the Pac-12 should consider adding in their next wave of conference realignment with college basketball in mind.
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