Pac-12 in talks with Gonzaga, targeting Utah St., UNLV as Mountain West pushes back, AP sources say

The Pac-12 is in discussions with basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join the rebuilding conference in 2026, three people with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Monday, and is also targeting more Mountain West schools after raiding that league two weeks ago.

Utah State and UNLV were the main targets for the Pac-12, but the Mountain West was working to keep its remaining eight schools together. Utah State was expected to make the move to the Pac-12, but UNLV's decision remained uncertain, according to two of the people.

The Mountain West received commitments from Air Force and San Jose State to stay put, according to two other people with knowledge of that conference's situation.

The other Mountain West schools include New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Hawaii for football only.

The people all spoke on condition of anonymity because both Pac-12's and Mountain West's strategy and internal discussions were not being made public.

The Pac-12's moves came after four American Athletic Conference schools, who had been pitched on joining the reconstructed league, announced they remained committed to the AAC.

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 the conference had targeted those schools as potential new members.

“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other,” the schools said. “Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future.”

The Pac-12 began to restock for a 2026 relaunch two weeks ago by landing 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 left after a dramatic round of realignment took effect this summer.

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

If Utah State leaves the Mountain West for the Pac-12 and UNLV and the rest stay put, both the Pac-12 and the Mountain West would be at seven members in need of more additions.

Zags

Adding Gonzaga would give the Pac-12 one of the best men's basketball programs in the country. The Bulldogs have thrived in the West Coast Conference, reaching the NCAA Tournament every year it has been played since 1998, with two Final Four appearances and eight seasons of at least 30 victories. Gonzaga does not have a football program.

The school has in the past talked to the Big East about conference affiliation, and the Big 12 has discussed potentially adding Gonzaga to its strong men's basketball lineup, as it did with UConn earlier this year. The Zags have also become a perennial tournament team in women's basketball.

Money matters

One person with knowledge of the discussions between the Pac-12 and AAC schools said the conference’s pitch included a projected $12 million to $15 million annual media-rights distribution to each school. The schools were also presented with options to join solely in football and basketball to alleviate travel costs associated with other sports programs making trips across one or two times zones.

All the Pac-12 schools are in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The Pac-12 was targeting new members in the Central time zone as a way to potentially increase value for possible television partners.

Leaving the AAC would have been costly for the schools. The conference’s bylaws require a 27-month notification for departing schools and a $10 million exit fee. An early departure, which would be necessary, would cost more. When UConn left the AAC to return to the Big East it cost the school $17 million. The AAC received $25 million from SMU for an expedited move to the ACC this year.

The Pac-12 and its four newest members are already on the hook for about $110 million in exit fees and penalties to the Mountain West, a potential windfall for that conference to share with schools that choose to stay.

Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has declined to detail how that cost will be shared by the incoming schools and conference, which is sitting on about $250 million in revenue the previous iteration of the Pac-12 was in line to receive this year and next.

A football scheduling agreement between Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West, which was not renewed for next year, includes a poaching penalty of more than $10 million per school that increases as the number of schools the Pac-12 takes increases.

The penalty would be $12 million if the Pac-12 takes one more Mountain West school, and increases to $12.5 million for the next one. That's on top of a $17 million exit fee.

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

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