College football expansion: Pac-12 set to add 1 team soon, per report
The recent moves in college football conference expansion and realignment appeared to have slowed down in recent months, but now it looks like the Pac-12 is set to make another major move with designs on adding one team, and potentially a second.
After losing landmark brands USC and UCLA to the Big Ten starting in 2024, the conference has been in the market to add properties to increase its value, and according to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, the league has zeroed in on adding San Diego State, at the very least.
"One thing is certain: The Pac-12 plans to expand by adding San Diego State and maybe SMU coinciding with its completion of a new TV deal," Dellenger reported.
That coincides with other media reports in recent weeks speculating that the conference was hoping to add teams both in California, to maintain its presence on the West Coast, and potentially in the state of Texas, to capitalize on that large market and what has been traditionally a very strong football recruiting base.
Pac-12 has been trying to expand
By moving into San Diego, the Pac-12 won't be able to recover its lost territory in the highly-coveted Los Angeles media market, the second-largest in the country after New York, but the league would add a school that makes geographic sense and has performed well in the major revenue sports in recent years.
SDSU opened a new football stadium last season and won the Mountain West football title in three years recently, and the school's basketball team just posted a 32-6 record and played for the NCAA national championship, losing to UConn.
All this comes as the Pac-12 finds itself still in the thick of its media rights negotiations, which are yet to produce any tangible results as ESPN and Fox both appear to be out of the running as primary partners, as most media insiders with knowledge of the situation have indicated.
That has left the conference hoping to attract attention from secondary networks and streaming channels, with ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reporting that the Pac-12 could have a deal in place by late spring or early summer.
Big 12 in pursuit
The Big 12 has been public in its attempt to expand to the West Coast and increase its exposure in the Pacific media markets.
Reports connected the Big 12's interest to the two Arizona schools in addition to Utah and Colorado, the latter a former Big 12 member.
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff took public issue with the Big 12's incursion into its territory, accusing that league of "trying to destabilize our remaining conference."
The presidents of both Arizona schools and Colorado's athletic director have both denied their schools are making plans to leave the Pac-12, but their statements also appeared to leave things open to whether or not the league can get a good deal.
Big Ten also interested?
And it's not just the Big 12 that has been moving in.
Representatives from Oregon and Washington have already been in contact with Big Ten decision makers about a potential merger, though none of these interests have materialized into any formal offers as of yet.
Stanford has also figured into the Big Ten's speculated interest given the school's international academic prestige, its media market not just in the Bay Area but nationally, and its devoted sports following.
(SI)
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