Pac-12 Rebuild: CFB Insider drops major conference realignment update as Mountain West schools team up for Power 5
The Pac-12 rebuild has been one of the more intriguing off-the-field storylines as conference realignment continues to march on. The Pac-12 rebuild has been in overdrive as they still have only the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars as conference members.
The Athletic's Cris Vannini reported on Wednesday that the Pac-12 rebuild could be adding as many as four teams in conference realignment:
- Boise State Broncos
- San Diego State Aztecs
- Fresno State Bulldogs
- Colorado State Rams
This seemingly comes amid reports that the Pac-12 and Mountain West Conferences have had their relationship gone sour. The deadline for the 2025 college football schedule to involve one another did not happen despite the initial agreement having that be expected.
Vannini also said that an official announcement could happen as early as Thursday.
How does conference realignment affect the Pac-12 rebuild going forward?
The Pac-12 rebuild is something that has been talked about for a while now, and it seems the conference is getting ready to take its first major step. It appears the Mountain West Conference is the current target for the realignment, as all four teams reportedly being targeted are from the MWC.
This does not mean that these are the only schools currently in discussion with the Pac-12 Conference. Rather, these are the only ones that are being reported on at the moment, and there could be surprises down the pipeline as well. After conference realignment crippled the Conference of Champions – with 10 of its 12 previous members leaving for new conferences – a similar situation could unfold here.
The Mountain West seems poised to be raided by the Pac-12, though other schools could get involved as well. It appears that the West Coast is going to be the main target going forward, so schools in the Group of Five conferences that want to be in a power conference in the future may have the opportunity to do just that.