Pac-12 expansion: Commissioner outlines timeline for adding schools, details of future media rights deal | SWX Spokane

PULLMAN, Washington. — Just over a week ago, the Pac-12 conference in college sports went from being a subject of derision to being back in the conversation when it was announced that Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State would join Washington State and Oregon State in the Pac-12 for all conference sports beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.

Currently, a total of six teams have joined the Pac-12 Conference; the change will take effect on July 1, 2026. However, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould made it clear that this is just the beginning.

Commissioner Gould visited Pullman on Friday to watch the Cougars' wild overtime win over San Jose State and made several things clear for the future of the conference: The Pac-12 is here to stay, there is significant interest from other schools looking to join, and a media rights deal is being finalized to set the Pac-12 up for success for years to come. (Click here to watch Gould's full interview from Pullman)

Effective immediately, Washington State and Oregon State will serve as the sole Pac-12 members for the remainder of this school year and next under the NCAA's two-year transition period. That gives the Cougars and Beavers about 18 months to expand to at least eight teams and maintain their FBS status.

Many wondered why the Pac-12 only announced four new schools when that is not enough to be considered a full-fledged conference, but Gould said there was a clear strategy behind the decision.

“We were very intentional about making a public announcement saying that Pac-12 is here, we're going to be here, we're going to rebuild and here are our four first institutions that we're going to partner with,” Gould explained. “We wanted to kind of put the country on notice that we're going to be here for a long time. And we hoped that would generate interest and I have to say that the interest from potential institutions that want to be part of this conference in the future has been overwhelmingly positive and far exceeded our expectations. So I think the strategy has worked and there's a lot of interest out there and we're going to think really carefully and conscientiously about what the next step is going to be.”

The addition of the four Mountain West Conference schools is an important step in rebuilding the Pac-12, but Gould acknowledged that the work is far from done. More schools could be added in the next few months, and a media rights deal could follow soon after.

“In the short term, so the next 30, 60, 90 days, our priorities are really quite clear. Priority number one is to complete the expansion and invite more members to join the league,” Gould said. “Shortly after that, we need to go to market and start working on our media rights partnerships, which will be critical not only in terms of the visibility that these programs deserve, but also in terms of the resources that we need to support our programs.”

Since the news broke, rumors have been rife with speculation about which other schools might be targeted or invited to join the Pac-12, with schools like Memphis, Texas State, UTSA, Tulane, Air Force and UNLV being the most talked about.

Gould said that targeting schools outside the Mountain West has not been ruled out, but stressed that any action would be taken with the well-being of current schools, staff and student-athletes at the forefront.

“One of the things I really want to make clear is that my first stakeholders that I serve and that I work for are those student-athletes, right? And every action we take and the impact of every action we take, I'm always going to be focused on those programs and those student-athletes and not any other league,” Gould said.

As for the number of schools the new Pac-12 hopes to reach by 2026, Gould said he doesn't have an exact number in mind other than to reach at least eight schools.

“We don't have a specific number,” she said. “But I'm actually not so concerned about the number as much as the qualification and quality of the members that we're taking on. We want to make sure that whether it's eight or nine or 11 or whatever the number is, it's the right institutions with the right fit, that have similar competitive ambitions and add value to what we do as a league. So I'm not fixated on a number, I'm fixated on really getting the right member institutions.”

Commissioner Gould hasn't been in Pullman long, but she knows Washington State University is a powerhouse that fits perfectly with the longevity of the Pac-12 Conference.

“As far as WSU's position goes, I mean, look at what we're seeing this season with this team. I mean, clearly a top-25 [program] in the country we see playing tonight,” Gould said at halftime between WSU and SJSU. “They are [WSU] a huge factor, obviously, in the rebuild. And I'm really looking forward to building something really great for the future of all WSU programs, including WSU football.”

For now, Gould and the Pac-12 are focused on adding the remaining teams and finalizing a media rights deal. Once that's done, the conference can begin to shape its long-term future.

“After we have this behind us [adding other schools, media rights deal]we're going to talk about what that conference is going to look like. What is our shared vision? What sports are we going to sponsor? What championships are we going to host? You know, there are a number of operational needs that we're going to have to deal with at some point. But right now we're very focused on getting our membership invitations finalized,” Gould said.