Conference Realignment MADNESS | PAC 12 Adds Boise State, Fresno St, Colorado St, SDSU | Who’s NEXT?

Commissioner Teresa Gould was on a flight on Wednesday evening Valleys Unpleasant Los Angeles if the Pac-12’s deal to add Boise State, State of Colorado, State of Fresno And State of San Diego entered his final hours.

Applications were submitted and voted on by the board, but Gould couldn’t keep up because the flight had no internet.

“It was nerve-wracking the first hour to 90 minutes of the flight, because the wifi wasn’t working,” she told On3 on Thursday night. “So that was pretty nerve-wracking.”

Despite the lack of communication, the deal was still closed.

The Pac-12 officially welcomed the four new members Thursday morning, a major step in revitalizing the league. Oregon State And Washington State were left to fend for themselves last summer as schools rushed to join new conferences after the Pac-12 failed to secure a lucrative media rights package.

When Gould officially began her tenure as Pac-12 commissioner in March, her top priority was to chart a path forward for the conference. Executives from Oregon State and Washington State also played crucial roles.

Now the focus shifts to building out the rest of the conference. To give the Pac-12 a FBS conference, there should be eight schools by July 2026. Thursday was only Phase One of the expansion plans for the competition.

“The interest in the Pac-12 as a brand and the interest in the future conference that we’re going to create and build is very, very high from a lot of different stakeholders,” Gould told On3. “Whether it’s potential media partners, other corporate partners, institutions from other conferences, there’s just a lot of buzz and a lot of energy and a lot of interest in what we’re going to do going forward.”

Pac-12 will need to activate CFP viewing provision

Where the Pac-12 focuses on new members will remain a question in the coming weeks. Sources told On3 that Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, UNLV, Air Force, Wyoming And New Mexico should all be schools to keep an eye on. Calm And Stanford have signed the ACC Grant of Rights until 2036, making an exit unlikely. How the ACC handles ongoing legal disputes with State of Florida And Clemson can play a role.

A source told On3 that the Pac-12 is in negotiations over the College American Football Playoffs new $7.8 billion television contract, which begins in the 2026-27 season. Gould said the new agreement has a look-in provision.

The Pac-12 is eligible for an automatic qualifying spot if it reaches the eight-member threshold. There is no specific number of schools the conference will add. As of now, Oregon State and Washington State each receive $3.6 million in CFP distribution.

“The commissioners all agreed, that was a key element of that new agreement, given the landscape around conference realignment,” she said. “So my role will certainly be, going forward, No. 1, to build a Pac-12 Conference and have a membership that is in the upper echelons of college football and competes at the highest level. And then working with my peer commissioners at the CFP level to activate that look-in provision — to see where we fit in that agreement going forward.”

Teresa Gould now focuses on unifying the Pac-12

In the short term, Gould wants to unite the four new schools with Oregon State and Washington State to create a vision for the future.

Sources told On3 on Thursday that discussions about adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State have ramped up in the past 72 hours. Gould will now work on creating the new Pac-12, with all six schools playing a significant role in the future.

“We will continue to compete at the highest level and provide resources to their athletic departments at a level that is consistent with the highest institutions in this country,” she said. “We want to continue to provide those benefits to our student-athletes and we will be watching and participating in those national conversations.”