Pac-12 targeting Mountain West members for expansion after AAC schools spurn interest

Pac-12 leaders are mobilizing in pursuit of more expansion members after a group of American Athletic Conference schools decided to spurn the league’s interest to join, likely resulting in a pivot back to the West.

Leaders of the conference, as well as its consulting firm Navigate, are meeting Monday over other potential options for expansion, including an effort to target Mountain West members Utah State and UNLV, as well as an ongoing discussion with basketball power Gonzaga.

However, the clock is ticking. The Mountain West is in a proverbial sprint to secure its membership with financial incentives, much of which are derived from the exit and expected penalty fees owed to the league from those schools that left for the Pac-12. The exit and penalty fees are expected to eclipse $120 million.

The Mountain West is proposing a tiered distribution of the wealth, with each member receiving a financial boost. In fact, the Air Force Academy already has signed the agreement with the league. The academy is expected to receive a signing bonus of at least $10 million, sources tell Yahoo Sports. At least one other school, UNLV, is expected to receive a similar financial bonus.

Commissioner Gloria Nevarez has set a 5 p.m. MT time deadline to sign the deal as the Pac-12 races to potentially poach more members.

The Pac-12, for now a two-school league, needs to reach eight full members by summer of 2026 to meet NCAA conference requirements. In an effort to rebuild the conference, Oregon State and Washington State executed the first phase of a multi-step expansion effort last week adding Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State. The teams will join the league in July of 2026 and each owe the Mountain West an exit fee of at least $17 million.

The pool of candidates is shrinking for the Pac-12. As of 3:30 p.m. MT, Utah State, San Jose State, Nevada and UNLV had not signed the deal with the Mountain West. UNLV and Utah State officials have seen the expansion presentation from the Pac-12, something Yahoo Sports reported last week. Utah State received terms of membership from the Pac-12 on Monday night, sources tell Yahoo Sports.

While the expectation is that those two are the top Pac-12 targets, it is unclear if an agreement can be reached, especially given the situation in the state of Nevada, where politics are at play.

The Nevada System of Higher Education and its board of regents governs both schools and must approve decisions related to conference affiliation. The current governor of the state, Joe Lombardo, is a graduate of UNLV. The president of University of Nevada-Reno, Brian Sandoval, is a two-term governor of the state who holds respect and power among the regents.

As for the Mountain West, the league must secure its current membership before agreeing to terms with expansion targets, which range from Conference USA’s UTEP to FCS Tarleton State.