Amid uncertainties around Stanford and Cal to ACC, Pac-12 expansion can still get the push from AAC, with Oregon State being a key member

The Pac-12 leadership is not relenting on its goal to ensure the conference survives amid the ongoing series of conference realignments. Despite reports of Stanford and Cal getting close to joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, the push to keep the Pac-12 alive isn't stopping.

If Stanford and Cal eventually join the ACC, Oregon State and Washington State will remain the only members of the PAC. The two universities are expected to integrate themselves into the Mountain West Conference or American Athletic Conference under the Pac-12 brand.

However, bringing in teams from both Group of Five conferences remains the best option for the league. This will enable the creation of a competitive conference with an actual Power Five pedigree. It will also help preserve both the MWC and AAC in the realm of college sports.

Who could be the new members of the Pac-12?

A number of teams in the Group of Five conferences believe they have what it takes to compete in the Power Five and aspire to achieve this. The Power Five status is what the Pac-12 expansion could offer a couple of them if it eventually becomes successful.

A couple of Mountain West teams that could be invited to the Big 12 include San Diego State, Colorado State, Boise State, and Fresno State. Notably, San Diego State University made an unconventional move to join the Pac-12 earlier in the offseason but failed in the bid.

On the other hand, the American universities that could receive an invitation from the Pac-12 include Memphis, Tulane, USF, Rice, and UConn. SMU would have been a top candidate for the expansion; however, they could be joining the ACC alongside Stanford and Cal.

What are the prominent obstacles to this expansion?

Having new members join in time for the 2024–25 academic year is a huge problem for the Pac-12. The timing of the expansion is too close and will result in the payment of exorbitant exit fees for both the MWC and the AAC teams to join in 2024.

The Mountain West requires its team to give a 12-month notice prior to an exit move and pay a sum of $17 million as an exit fee. However, with the remaining period being less than 12 months, MWC teams will have to pay a sum of $34 million, double the exit fee, to leave the conference.

The teams from the American would have needed to pay $10 million as an exit fee had they given a 27-month notice to the conference as required by the rules. Notably, the three teams that recently left the league, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, paid $18 million for an early exit.

These factors threaten the possibility of expanding the Pac-12 and keeping it alive in college sports. However, Oregon State continues to work to ensure the Pac-12 is rebuilt.