Insider Names Tulane Green Wave Team to Watch as Pac-12 Conference Expands

The Tulane Green Wave may have an opportunity to jump conferences if the Pac-12 looks their way.

Dec 1, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Pac-12 Conference logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Overnight, the Pac-12 Conference opted to expand, as the league invited Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State to join the league. By Friday morning, it was a done deal as the league made a formal announcement.

It’s quite possible the Pac-12 isn’t done either.

After the league imploded last year and 10 different teams left the conference, Oregon State and Washington State won the right to keep the conference’s name and branding. It also received a two-year grace period from the NCAA to remain a conference.

The grace period ends in the fall of 2026. By then, the Pac-12 must have at least eight teams to remain a football conference.

So, clearly, the Pac-12 needs at least two more teams. That’s where Tulane could enter the picture.

On3.com’s Pete Nakos put together a list of nine teams that could interest the Pac-12 as they fill out their conference. The Green Wave made the list.

The other schools were Memphis, UTSA, Cal, Stanford, UNLV, Air Force, Wyoming and New Mexico.

Cal and Stanford were, of course, long-time members of the Pac-12 that joined the ACC in August. The deal with the ACC isn’t friendly for either school financially. Cal and Stanford will each start out receiving just a 30% share of ACC payouts. ACC members typically get more than $40 million per year in league payouts from TV contracts and other revenue.

The other schools are a mix of American Athletic Conference programs like Tulane and other Mountain West members.

So what is Tulane’s case to move to the Pac-12? Per Nakos, Tulane has grown into one of the top football programs in the Group of 5. The Green Wave has been to the AAC title game each of the past two years and won the crown in 2022, following that title with a Cotton Bowl win over USC.

Tulane also can offer access to a new market — New Orleans. As a designated market area (DMA), New Orleans is the No. 50 media market in the country.

The Pac-12 currently doesn’t have a recruiting footprint in the South. Luring Tulane could bring the league access to adjacent states for recruiting, including Texas, one of the top proving grounds for high school talent in the country.

Tulane sponsors 18 NCAA sports, but realignment will likely be driven by football, which positions the Green Wave well for potential expansion.

What isn’t clear is how many members the Pac-12 is looking for. At one point the Pac-12 was the Pac-8 before it added Arizona and Arizona State in 1978 to become the Pac-10. A dozen years ago, the league became the Pac-12 with the additions of Colorado and Utah.

All four of those schools are in the Big 12 now. Tulane may benefit from their departures.