College football expansion: Pac-12 adds four Mountain West schools in realignment move

After emerging as the big loser in the most recent college football realignment push, the Pac-12 is coming back with a vengeance by adding the Mountain West's top four schools.

The Pac-12 is mounting a comeback in the next big college football conference realignment move. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The big loser in college football's most recent realignment push is looking to make a comeback, as the Pac-12 will add four teams from the current Mountain West to the conference rotation starting in the 2026 school year, the league announced.

Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Colorado State will join the currently two-member Pac-12 Conference in the West Coast league's bid to re-enter college football's Power Conference tier.

It marks the first major move by new Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould to revive the conference after it saw 10 of its previous members depart to either the Big Ten, Big 12, or ACC, leaving only Washington State and Oregon State in the league this football season.

By adding these four schools and bringing its membership to six, the Pac-12 still remains two members shy of the eight-team minimum that is required to maintain its status as an FBS conference.

It is expected the Pac-12 will pursue further expansion in order to meet that minimum, a process that carries a deadline of July of 2026, the end of the NCAA's two-year grace period.

The Pac-12's expansion move will be costly for its new member schools to leave the Mountain West, as each current member is bound to a $17 million exit fee.

Moreover, the Pac-12 is reportedly bound to an additional $10-12 million penalty for every school it acquires as part of the scheduling agreement it currently has with the Mountain West.

“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Gould said in a statement.

“We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes.

“I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”

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