3 reasons why Fresno State to Pac-12 is not a good move

The Fresno State Bulldogs were among four programs to make the jump from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12, along with the Boise State Broncos, Colorado Rams and San Diego State Aztecs. Brett McMurphy of The Action Network broke the news late Wednesday night, tweeting:

"Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State & San Diego State leaving Mountain West to join Pac-12 in 2026, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ . Official announcement is expected Thursday morning, sources said. The MWC schools will join Oregon State & Washington State, but Pac-12 still needs 2 more schools to reach 8-school minimum to qualify as an FBS conference. MWC will receive a total of $111 million in exit fees."

He continued:

"The departing Mountain West schools must each pay a minimum of a $17 million exit fee, which the Pac-12 is expected to help offset, a source said. Also, the Pac-12 must pay the MWC a total of $43 million for poaching the 4 Mountain West schools as part of a scheduling agreement b/w the 2 conferences"

Check out Brett McMurphy's tweet on the programs joining the Pac-12 below:

The four programs will join the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars to give the conference six total teams. Here's a look at three reasons the move may not be good for Fresno State.

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3 reasons why Fresno State to Pac-12 is not a good move

#1: They have to pay a significant amount in exit fees

The four departing programs are projected to pay the Mountain West Conference an estimated $18 million in exit fees.

While that is not a significant amount by any stretch, it is unclear if the move will pay off in the long run.

#2: The Pac-12 does not have eight teams

Part of the reason it is unclear if the move will work out is that the Pac-12 only has six programs, even with the additions. A minimum of eight programs is required to qualify as an FBS conference.

While the Pac-12 will look to add at least two more teams, it is unclear if they will be able to do so or who those teams will be.

#3: There is still plenty of uncertainty around the conference

Aside from the aforementioned reasons, there is even more uncertainty around the future of the Pac-12. The conference remains without a long-term media rights deal, which led to the departure of 10 programs this offseason.

If Pac-12 officials were unable to land such a deal with much bigger programs attached to the conference, it is unclear if they can be counted on to do so now.