Oregon State’s athletic director, Scott Barnes, stated that the revamped Pac-12 aims to swiftly add a minimum of two more teams by 2026.
“I think John Wooden said it, `Let’s be quick but don’t hurry,” Barnes said on Saturday. “Get it right, but it’s in our best interest to move as quickly as we can.”
The Conference of Champions, which underwent significant changes with ten teams leaving, revealed on Thursday that it will be reformed with four Mountain West teams joining Oregon State and Washington.
This revamped Pac-12, featuring Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State, is set to launch in 2026. However, the conference needs at least eight teams to gain automatic entry into NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff.
When asked if any schools had shown interest in joining within 48 hours of the realignment announcement, Barnes simply replied, “Bunches.”
Barnes spoke prior to the rivalry matchup between Oregon State and former conference rival Oregon, which moved to the Big Ten this season. He noted that the league might add more than just the two teams necessary to meet NCAA and CFP requirements.
“It’s a lot like the processes we used to bring these foundational members in, in that the criteria will be very similar. We’ve already started in earnest with our first meeting yesterday to look at the landscape. There is great interest in this very early stage,” Barnes said.
“I would love to see this wrapped up as soon as possible,” he added. “But certainly we want to get it right. These are long-term, historic decisions that we’re making, and we’ll take enough time to make sure we’ve got the right new members. But the sooner we can move forward the better.”
With only two active members, the Pac-12 is capitalizing on NCAA regulations that permit a two-year grace period. Currently, the Beavers and Cougars have a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for this season, allowing each team to face six opponents from that conference. This arrangement is not valid beyond the current season.
As part of this agreement, the Pac-12 stands to gain millions in additional fees if it recruits teams from the Mountain West. Overall, the Mountain West could potentially benefit from $ 110 million due to this realignment.
AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo also contributed to this report.
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