Four potential Pac-12 expansion candidates aside from SMU and San Diego State

The Pac-12 is on the ropes and may need to make a splashy move soon

The Pac-12 has again found themselves with their backs against the wall when it comes to the media rights and expansion scene.

With reports coming out that the conference is struggling to find a partner willing to offer as much as they had hoped, it has become clear that the conference needs to add more programs to boost up their stock as much as possible. Not only do they need to now switch their order of operations from media rights first, expansion second, but they also need to do so quickly in order to combat the moves that appear to be in the works by the Big 12 to poach four Pac-12 members. 

The Pac-12 has consistently been playing defense for the last year and a half, and in order to stave off more potential poachers is to add not just two teams, but four. All of the other Power 5 conferences already have made moves, or are planning to make moves to get to at least 14 teams. If the Pac-12 wants to maximize their value, which will never be as much as it was with USC and UCLA, adding more teams to generate more scheduling possibilities and streaming opportunities for the conference equates to more money. 

Streaming will be a major part of the Pac-12's future, and they really need to lean into getting as many eyes onto the conference as possible. That is why I have compiled a list of four schools not including San Diego State and SMU, who are widely viewed as next in line, that the Pac-12 needs to consider adding. Marketability and how many people in each place is heavily considered, which is why one of these teams will be a complete shock to most.

Let's take a look at the four schools that could be potential candidates if the Pac-12 were to expand from 10 to 14 teams following the departure of USC and UCLA. Again, they could add six schools but it will not equate to the value they lost. Adding four programs of any kind is solely to inflate the value of what is left. The Pac-12 has a place in college football, and the playoff expanding and their "Pac-12 after dark" time slot only helps them prevent extinction and the blowing up of the conference like people are suggesting again.

Here are the four programs I think are worth considering adding for the two final spots assuming San Diego State and SMU are already locking down two.

Fresno State

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The market isn't great by any means coming in at No. 55 in the country, but it would be a program that competes immediately in football. Over the past couple seasons, Fresno State has beaten a handful of Pac-12 teams and has gone toe-to-toe with others. They often are mentioned as a team that will be overlooked due to their geographic location in California not being a desirable area.

UNLV

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Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff was once the President of MGM Sports and Entertainment prior to taking the job as Pac-12 Commissioner, so he knows how valuable the Las Vegas market can be. Las Vegas is becoming a sports hub with the NFL, NHL, UFC, boxing, and WNBA all thriving there, and murmurs of the NBA, MLS, and possibly MLB eyeing a landing spot there. 

The Pac-12 have also held their conference championships there. The market ranks as the No. 40 market in the country, and while football could use some improvement which would likely happen in joining the conference thanks to a broader recruiting net, they are competitive in basketball. 

Boise State

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The Broncos have been one of the most successful Group of 5 programs ever, and are always mentioned anytime conference realignment talk surface. The football program would be a very good competitive addition to the conference, but other than that the rest of their programs, not so much. 

Academically they don't meet the Pac-12's standards, but again, the conference should consider making adjustments for the sake of existing. Their market is the worst on this list at No. 101, but something about that blue field tells me more people would be privy to tuning in if they are playing a more intriguing schedule that features the likes of Oregon and Utah.

Tulane

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Yes, you read that correctly, and no this is not a slight at USC's recent Cotton Bowl collapse. From the jump I was a proponent of going after SMU for the Dallas market and the recruiting area, but in listening to the Locked on Pac-12 podcast recently, the idea of venturing East even more caught my attention. Having access to New Orleans, which is a fertile recruiting area in its own right would be great for the conference. Tulane finished this past season as the No. 9 team in the country, and the program is trending upward. It would be a bit of a risk for the conference, but it definitely stretches the interest in Pac-12 football even further East. 

New Orleans is home to the No. 50 market in the country, which isn't elite by any means but it is a Group of 5 program that needs to follow suit like Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston and push to be a Power 5 addition when they are hot. Tulane also meets the academic requirements, which makes them that much more attractive. Counting SMU, this would give the Pac-12 programs in three different time zones and can help national popularity.