ESPN: Sources: Boise State among four schools set to join Pac-12

"Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State have applied for Pac-12 membership to begin in the 2026-27 academic year, sources said.

"They would join Oregon State and Washington State, the conference's two remaining school following its collapse last summer."

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/41226997/sources-boise-state-four-schools-set-join-pac-12

A few more will be joining, apparently...

The four new schools will be part of a collaborative process to select additional Pac-12 members, per sources.

A Sept. 1 deadline for extending a scheduling agreement between the Pac-2 schools and the MWC passed without action, an indicator that something was afoot.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 12, 2024

A lot of people watching the rebuild with these news really want CalFord and maybe Utah back. No say that's happening, right? I'm looking forward to visiting other ACC schools, and the current new PAC expanded teams aren't exciting.

In all honesty, it would be in the best interest of the California schools, Oregon, and Washington to return to the Pac-12. Eventually, the exorbitant amount of travel will take its toll on the student athletes at these schools.

ferCALgm2 said:

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A lot of people watching the rebuild with these news really want CalFord and maybe Utah back. No say that's happening, right? I'm looking forward to visiting other ACC schools, and the current new PAC expanded teams aren't exciting.

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We play Florida State next week, why join a conference where we have to play Fresno State, **** 'em

Seems like a lot of money for a contract that seems will only be better than the MWC because it'll be split fewer ways. And who will be the other two? UNLV? Air Force? The pickings start to get real slim, real fast.

ferCALgm2 said:

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A lot of people watching the rebuild with these news really want CalFord and maybe Utah back. No say that's happening, right? I'm looking forward to visiting other ACC schools, and the current new PAC expanded teams aren't exciting.

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No chance unless the ACC implodes. From Canzano:

I'm told it's unlikely that the Pac-12 would request a waiver that buys it some additional time. What about Stanford and Cal? Ready to come home? We'll see, but even if they were, I doubt they'd currently be able to easily get out of the ACC.
What did OSU athletic director Scott Barnes say last week?
He said: "Chaos is our friend."
A source in the media space told me on Wednesday night: "A somewhat informed person might think that they might be keeping a couple of seats warm for Stanford and Cal should mayhem occur in the ACC."

philbert said:

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ferCALgm2 said:

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A lot of people watching the rebuild with these news really want CalFord and maybe Utah back. No say that's happening, right? I'm looking forward to visiting other ACC schools, and the current new PAC expanded teams aren't exciting.

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No chance unless the ACC implodes. From Canzano:

I'm told it's unlikely that the Pac-12 would request a waiver that buys it some additional time. What about Stanford and Cal? Ready to come home? We'll see, but even if they were, I doubt they'd currently be able to easily get out of the ACC.
What did OSU athletic director Scott Barnes say last week?
He said: "Chaos is our friend."
A source in the media space told me on Wednesday night: "A somewhat informed person might think that they might be keeping a couple of seats warm for Stanford and Cal should mayhem occur in the ACC."

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They expand to 8, 10 at most, and wait

Can't see Calford getting out of the ACC and honestly even if they were, their first goal would be trying to get in the B1G with the rest of the Pac8

BearSD said:

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A few more will be joining, apparently...

The four new schools will be part of a collaborative process to select additional Pac-12 members, per sources.

A Sept. 1 deadline for extending a scheduling agreement between the Pac-2 schools and the MWC passed without action, an indicator that something was afoot.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 12, 2024

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I am a bit surprised they are not just merging and taking everybody. This is going to make cooperation with the MWC in the meantime very difficult.

I really don't see why OSU and WSU invite in 4 to help decide who else gets in. If you are not taking everyone, why don't OSU and WSU decide who THEY want?

I was wondering about Hawaii, my second favorite team, but I guess the MWC will go on. The MWC has 12 schools, lose 4 and they are at the 8 team minimum. Maybe that is why they are only taking 4 for now? Any more and the MWC will have to add teams, but there aren't any more FBS teams in the West.

Maybe the Big 12 goes after some?

Maybe some FCS teams like Davis move up to FBS? (Contrary to all the talk of fewer teams)?

Agreed. Not well handed by the P2. This line of strategy only works under the very optimistic view that the new Pac6 will eventually be a power conference and they want the higher TV revenue split between a smaller number of schools. Meh, everybody is shooting for the moon in CFB. Just look at CalFurd.

Pausing at 4 gives them the chance to look at AAC and CUSA schools as well. Army, Navy, Memphis, Rice, Tulane, and South Florida are arguably all better options than the rest of the MWC. They could add them all as an eastern division. Or add them together with UNLV and Utah State. Or pick through the various Florida and Texas schools. I get that staying regional makes a certain sense, especially emotionally after all of the realignment chaos but pragmatically why not go for the throats of the current leading G5 conferences?

The ACC at this point is still a much better league to be in than this new Pac-12 for Cal and Stanford.

Cute the reemergence of that one dude who keeps saying it would be best for Cal to be in a league with Fresno, SDSU, and other Cal State schools.

I kind of feel the next two steps in realignment will be:

1. The B1G and SEC picking the best of the ACC / ND.
2. Conferences then dropping the dead weight from their conferences.

The Pac-2 realizes that even in the Mountain West there is dead weight and they are only inviting the best of the bunch. That makes sense to me.

I kind of wish the Cal had done that with the Pac-10 in 2010 to merge with the best of the Big Twelve. At that time, Cal's national image was probably the highest it's ever been.

A conference of Washington, Oregon, cal, Stanford, ucla, USC, Texas, am, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska and Missouri would probably still be together.

Isn't this all so insane? Really funny. In today EBT Wilner mentions that the Pac12 still needs 2 more teams to become a certified conference. Then he mentions that a prime candidate school to be added would be Memphis.

As an old schooler, wouldn't things be easier to follow if all location references and numerical references in conference titles could be eliminated? I know I'm overly pragmatic, but it would sure be a relief to my sanity.

At least for non football sports

Seems pretty dirty to use the MWC for a lifeline this hear then poach their best teams. Does the p2 have an indication from TV that this will make enough $$ to be worth it?

It does seem pretty dirty. Apparently this was foreseen and there is a clause in the agreement betwen the Pac 2 and the MWC where they have to pay the MWC $43 million if they poach.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2024/09/12/pac-12-adding-boise-state-san-diego-state-fresno-state-colorado-state/75186340007/

I dunno. I'm sorta lovin' this new "Cal Nation" vibe we're getting from being an improved team (thanks NIL, Sebasta, and Cal Legends) and being on a larger media stage in the ACC. It's unfortunate that Cal (and Furd) have to endure the travel trade-off for this, but if we are to embrace the east coast bias of big time college football, as we are, isn't this really the only way to do it? I mean, from a media standpoint, the implosion of the Pac-12 showed that West Coast football as a national entertainment product lost the plot and the game.

We'll see how long before Cal and Furd decide to go back, I guess when they run out of travel money.....

philbert said:

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ferCALgm2 said:

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A lot of people watching the rebuild with these news really want CalFord and maybe Utah back. No say that's happening, right? I'm looking forward to visiting other ACC schools, and the current new PAC expanded teams aren't exciting.

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No chance unless the ACC implodes. From Canzano:

I'm told it's unlikely that the Pac-12 would request a waiver that buys it some additional time. What about Stanford and Cal? Ready to come home? We'll see, but even if they were, I doubt they'd currently be able to easily get out of the ACC.
What did OSU athletic director Scott Barnes say last week?
He said: "Chaos is our friend."
A source in the media space told me on Wednesday night: "A somewhat informed person might think that they might be keeping a couple of seats warm for Stanford and Cal should mayhem occur in the ACC."

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This is what I was going to say. The former Pac schools are all locked in to deals with their new conferences and wouldn't be able to get out by the time this new Pac was to be formed, unless there is total chaos and the conferences break apart.

It's also unlikely the new Pac would be able to get a media deal on par with that of the ACC, Big 12 or B1G.

Cal84 said:

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Agreed. Not well handed by the P2. This line of strategy only works under the very optimistic view that the new Pac6 will eventually be a power conference and they want the higher TV revenue split between a smaller number of schools. Meh, everybody is shooting for the moon in CFB. Just look at CalFurd.

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See, I couldn't disagree more, the MWC bungled this one. To begin with, all the P2 wanted was an extension on the scheduling agreement but MW played hardball and asked for a significant raise on the already exorbitant $14MM scheduling fee which comes out to about $1MM/game (about what the richest schools have to pay FCS schools for noncon bloodbath games). Second, the MW announced that if there was to be a merger it would be the MW absorbing OSU/WSU and not a merger into a new PAC,l that would have been to the benefit of all involved.

So OSU/WSU said "**** it" and decided to use their war chest to buy out the most desirable pieces of the MWC while they still can. They just need 2 more schools now to be considered a legitimate conference by the CFP committee. That means they could let teams come to them and plead their case or look for a couple more schools around the country. Memphis has been floated, as has UCF, UNT, the Dakota schools if they want to jump up to FBS, possibly Idaho back to the FBS, the Montana schools, UNLV, Army, Navy, Air Force, USF, and some others.

The value of that is that under the PAC banner and with the best pieces of the MWC/AAC/Sun Belt/whomever, they are more desirable contractually than the MWC, not even close to the P4 but they could likely get $10MM/year per school which would double the MWC payout.

The other massive piece is this: they're not trying to be P5 again, they're trying to make a "middle 1" conference. The highest rated G5 conference winner gets a playoff autobid and with the schools they're reportedly adding plus a Memphis and another solid poach they'd be far and away the best non P4 conference and a lock for that playoff spot and the money that comes with it.

It's the best of a bad situation kind of deal but that's the road map to some semblance of financial and competitive stability for WSU and OSU. Then if the ACC gets blown up they'd gladly take Cal, Stanford, and some of the leftovers; same with the B12. They're also in a prime position to be one of the major conferences when the P2 alienates most of the country and the media execs finally realize that the regionalism, rivalries, and tradition are what drives the sport and that the NFL D-League setup only has so much staying power

ColoradoBear said:

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Seems pretty dirty to use the MWC for a lifeline this hear then poach their best teams. Does the p2 have an indication from TV that this will make enough $$ to be worth it?

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The strategy is dirty because it is aimed at destabilizing the rest of the MWC.

Both conferences - Pac-X and MWC - have to have 8 full members to be an FBS conference.

Pac now has 6. MWC now has 7. (Hawaii is not a full member of the MWC; they only play football there.)

If no other MWC teams join the Pac, then the MWC can keep going. Realistic options would be making Hawaii a full member and/or inviting New Mexico State and UTEP to join.

But if the Pac adds more MWC teams, then everyone who doesn't get a Pac invite is scrooed. The remaining teams would either have to patch up the MWC by convincing FCS teams like Davis, Sac State, and Cal Poly to "move up", or the remaining teams would have to join something like Conference USA.

Yep, we'll be seeing you guys soon....count on that, The ACC is gonna collapse next. Made zero sense for Cal and Stanford to jump to the ACC. A knee jerk, poorly thought out, panic driven decision.

scibear said:

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It does seem pretty dirty. Apparently this was foreseen and there is a clause in the agreement betwen the Pac 2 and the MWC where they have to pay the MWC $43 million if they poach.

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About half that with a longer notice, and the Pac-2 can help defray those costs with the warchest they protected.

Beaverdreams2 said:

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Yep, we'll be seeing you guys soon....count on that, The ACC is gonna collapse next. Made zero sense for Cal and Stanford to jump to the ACC. A knee jerk, poorly thought out, panic driven decision.

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Troll.

Call it what you want.....but I expect that to be the case.

Beaverdreams2 said:

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Call it what you want.....but I expect that to be the case.

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No you don't. It doesn't benefit Cal and Stanford to join this G5 version of the Pac. It also doesn't benefit you to have Cal and Stanford join, because it would still be a G5 conference. You are trolling because you want Cal and Stanford to be dragged down to the G level.

Beaverdreams2 said:

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Yep, we'll be seeing you guys soon....count on that, The ACC is gonna collapse next. Made zero sense for Cal and Stanford to jump to the ACC. A knee jerk, poorly thought out, panic driven decision.

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lol except that we are now featured on ESPN every week, will get more money than OSU and WSU this year, and still get to play the Miami and Florida States of the world to stay relevant for a while longer.

Listen beaver, I am not trying to gloat. I it sucks what is happening to you all, and u are now doing it to the teams a level below you, its a trickle down effect that is started by Texas, OU, USC and UCLA. But to say that its short sighted is so far from the truth. By your logic, if ACC implodes, and we cant get into the B10, then we will see you down the road. Looks to me like we are salvaging the situation and aiming higher and always will have a fall back plan, just like you all are doing.

BearSD said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Seems pretty dirty to use the MWC for a lifeline this hear then poach their best teams. Does the p2 have an indication from TV that this will make enough $$ to be worth it?

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The strategy is dirty because it is aimed at destabilizing the rest of the MWC.

Both conferences - Pac-X and MWC - have to have 8 full members to be an FBS conference.

Pac now has 6. MWC now has 7. (Hawaii is not a full member of the MWC; they only play football there.)

If no other MWC teams join the Pac, then the MWC can keep going. Realistic options would be making Hawaii a full member and/or inviting New Mexico State and UTEP to join.

But if the Pac adds more MWC teams, then everyone who doesn't get a Pac invite is scrooed. The remaining teams would either have to patch up the MWC by convincing FCS teams like Davis, Sac State, and Cal Poly to "move up", or the remaining teams would have to join something like Conference USA.

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it is dirty

but we did them dirty in the first place, its a dirty world with dirty money and that's why it's such a shame that we are heading down that path.

All started by Texa$ and U$C, just like what we thought they are, dirty programs with no regard for history

Texas was traditionally a SWC school, their main rival A&M had joined the SEC, so it wasn't nearly as weird a move as USC and UCLA going to the Big10. They are closer to LSU or Arkansas culturally and geographically than say, Nebraska or Kansas.

I get it bud: hurt people, hurt people. No one was more hurt by realignment than you guys and I honestly feel for you. It's why I was pulling for OSU to win the PAC last year and for all of us to get in as a West Coast pod of the B10. But, let's be honest, it makes no sense for Cal and Stanford to come back to the PAC right now.

The ACC situation won't be settled before 2030, the lawsuits will drag on, FSU doesn't really have a legal leg to stand on, the GOR buyout is massive, and they may end up getting a re-worked media deal that benefits the conference - albeit at a lower payout than the SEC/B10.

The lower media payout % from the ACC is still more than the new PAC will make even with us onboard. If it all goes tits up then the ACC/B12 scraps probably form a new conference and that would have more media value as well. Maybe in 2030 if we still don't get our **** together and prove to be a desirable school for Fox/Disney but even then Notre Dame might throw its weight around to drag Cal/Stanford to greener pastures.

The fact is there's no tangible benefit to us reuniting anytime soon and for now we're settled and happy in the ACC. Someday I hope we can get all the PAC-10 teams back together in one conference but we're just not there yet. Y'all deserved better but hating on us with no logical basis doesn't make sense to me. We didn't blow it up or keep you guys down, we were just on the last chopper out of Saigon and not responsible for leaving you guys behind

Beaverdreams2 said:

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Yep, we'll be seeing you guys soon....count on that, The ACC is gonna collapse next. Made zero sense for Cal and Stanford to jump to the ACC. A knee jerk, poorly thought out, panic driven decision.

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Jealous much?