Pac-12 is considering having schools from the Mountain West join Oregon State and Washington State in an effort to retain the league

According to Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, the Pac-12 is close to poaching four schools from the Mountain West to join Oregon State and Washington State in a bid to keep the league. Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State are the Mountain West schools expected to apply for membership in the conference, and an announcement could come as early as Thursday.

These four schools arguably represent the top brands in the traditional Mountain West and schools that have been considered for membership in a power conference in the past. If the four schools move by the 2026 season, the Pac-12 will only need to add two more programs to reach the minimum of eight schools for an FBS conference.

Ten of the twelve former Pac-12 schools officially left the conference in 2024 because existing rights expired. Four schools went to the Big Ten (USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington), four to the Big 12 (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah) and two to the ACC (Stanford and Cal), leaving Oregon State and Washington State without a long-term home. The two will compete as de facto FBS independents for the next two years and are ineligible for automatic entry into the College Football Playoff.

However, the legal status means the two Pac-12 schools still have a massive $250 million war chest, which they mostly have from payments like NCAA tournament units and existing contracts. According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, buying out four schools from the Mountain West in a year would cost about $187 million. The Pac-12's existing resources could be used to make up that difference.

The long-term goal of expansion would be to rebuild the Pac-12 as a competitive conference. The league still legally holds Autonomy Five status and could potentially retain that in a new form. The next step for the league would be to find two more schools to complete the league, particularly ones that could match or exceed the quality of the six schools.

Stanford and California would likely be courted, although it's unclear whether the universities could opt out of their agreements with the ACC. Other top Group of Five teams from around the country could also enter the competition. The biggest question mark, however, will be finding a lucrative television partner that can provide enough money – the original conflict that brought down the old Pac-12.

Last week, Mountain West and Pac-12 decided do not extend a schedule partnership through the 2025 season. According to multiple reports, the Pac-12 was hoping to reduce the payout to the Mountain West to keep the schedule in place. Both Pac-12 schools still need to fill nearly half of their schedules. If the expansion plans go through, the schools will be in much better shape in 2026.