Pac-12 is in talks with basketball heavyweight Gonzaga about joining the newly formed league in 2026, according to AP sources

The Pac-12 is in talks with basketball heavyweight Gonzaga about joining the Reconstruction Conference in 2026, three people familiar with the talks told the Associated Press on Monday.

The Pac-12 is also targeting Mountain West schools UNLV and Utah State, two of the people said, as it moves away from a group of American Athletic Conference schools that have said they will remain loyal to their current league. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pac-12's strategy is not made public.

Meanwhile, Mountain West received a commitment from Air Force to stay in the conference after the school Aroused the interest of the AAC, A person familiar with the AFA's decision told the AP on condition of anonymity.

Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, UTSA and the American Athletic Conference released a statement that made no mention of the Pac-12, but several people with knowledge of those talks told AP that the rebuilding conference has targeted those schools as potential new members.

“While we recognize the interest other conferences have in our facilities, we firmly believe it is in our individual and collective best interest to maintain our commitments to each other,” the schools said. “Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, enhance the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning success and shape the future.”

The Pac-12 began increasing funding for a relaunch in 2026 two weeks ago by signing Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State from the Mountain West to join Washington State and Oregon State, the only two Pac-12 schools remaining after a dramatic round of realignment that took effect this summer.

The Pac-12 needs at least two more members in all sports to reach the required eight members to be a recognized conference with access to the NCAA Championships and the College Football Playoff in 2026.

With Gonzaga, the Pac-12 would have one of the best men's basketball programs in the country. The Bulldogs have reached the NCAA tournament every year since 1998, with two Final Four appearances and eight seasons with at least 30 wins. Gonzaga does not have a football program.

That would mean the Pac-12 would still need two more schools to play football.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo on https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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