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These 7 Schools Aren't Joining The Pac-12 Anytime Soon

Joe Londergan

Oct 22, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; A UNLV helmet sits on the field during the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the UNLV Rebels at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Oct 22, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; A UNLV helmet sits on the field during the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the UNLV Rebels at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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In recent days, the Pac-12 Conference has added five new members for the 2026 football season, bringing the league's total membership to seven, including Oregon State and Washington State. The league still needs to add at-least one more full member with a football program prior to that season, in order to comply with NCAA rules,

The five new members (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State) all come from the Mountain West Conference. The Pac-12 had been engaged in discussions with more members of the Mountain West, however those conversations now appear to be over.

These seven schools have signed a memorandum of understanding to remain in the Mountain West Conference through 2032:

United States Air Force Academy

University of Hawaii

University of Nevada, Reno

University of New Mexico

San Jose State University

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of Wyoming

More on the agreement

Where does the Pac-12 go now? Per Mike Craven of TexasFootball.com, Texas State University has emerged as a target for the Pac-12, as well as the Mountain West and the American Athletic Conference.

The AAC performed a similar maneuver to the Mountain West this week, announcing the commitments of Memphis, South Florida, UTSA, and Tulane to the league after receiving interest from other leagues, including the Pac-12.

Where does the Pac-12 go from here now that a huge chunk of targets are technically off of the board? Hard to say, but it could still put together an attractive package for a team from the other Group of Five leagues or an FCS program. We'll likely find out in the coming days and weeks.

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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.

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