Despite no media rights deal, Pac-12 expansion sees interest from 11 schools; SDSU in the list: Reports 

Pac-12 expansion plans took a big hit this week as Colorado is set to leave the conference in 2024.

Pac-12 has been holding off its expansion for months because in its order of priorities, getting a media rights deal comes before expansion. However, the media deal has been stalled, and consequently, so has the expansion.

Seeing Colorado leave despite the strong reassurances at the last Pac-12 Media Day can have a dampening effect on the conference. The leadership of the Pac-12 understood this and quickly issued a statement to address the situation.

However the statement is only a reiteration of the strategy the conference has adopted from the onset; media deal, then expand, and offers little, if any solace at all.

Whatever the Pac-12 leadership has to say, the fact remains that no media deal has been announced yet. But should the media deal eventually arrive, which schools are likely candidates for Pac-12 expansion?

Names like SDSU, SMU, and so on came up a couple of months ago, but after San Diego State's experience with the Mountain West, it's hard to say if any school can be willing to stick its neck for the Pac-12 again.

But it seems that the Pac-12 has not lost all its appeal. According to reports by Jim Williams, as posted on Twitter, at least 11 schools have signified interest in joining the Pac-12. And though it might surprise you, San Diego State is right there on the list.

The 11 schools are:

1. Colorado State
2. San Diego State
3. Southern Methodist
4. UNLV
5. Tulane
6. USF
7. Memphis
8. Boise State
9. Fresno State
10. Tulsa
11. Rice

More schools have expressed interest according to Williams.

How feasible is the Pac-12 expansion?

If this report proves to be true, then it might be that these schools know more than has been made available to the public. Why else would San Diego State be on a mission to join the conference that left it out cold only about a month ago again?

Maybe it ran out of choices. Remember that it was only allowed to remain in the Mountain West until 2024. Perhaps going to the Pac-12 never stopped being on the team's agenda.

Another angle to the Pac-12 expansion possibilities is of more possible exits from the conference. If Colorado could go, the rest can also make their way out. That would leave the Pac-12 more voids to fill than those left by the exit of three of its marquee programs since 2022.