Pac-12 Has 'Significant' Interest from More Schools to Join League, Commissioner Says

Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould revealed that there is "significant" interest from additional schools looking to join the league, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

Per Dellenger, Gould doesn't have a set number of teams to potentially add to the Pac-12 other than the eight needed to be recognized as an official FBS conference.

On Thursday, the Pac-12 announced the addition of Mountain West Conference teams such as Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

The four programs will join remaining Pac-12 members Washington State and Oregon State in July 2026, meaning that the conference will need at least two more schools in order to be recognized.

Pete Nakos reported for On3 that the Pac-12 could "turn its attention" to former members of the conference such as Cal and Stanford after the schools previously departed to join the ACC in Sept. 2023.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic also listed Memphis, Tulane and UNLV as schools that could potentially join the new Pac-12.

Gould doesn't appear to be worried about finding programs interested in joining the conference, explaining that the Pac-12's location could be enticing for schools.

"There's a lot of interest in having a high-level conference rooted on the West Coast," she said in July, per Dellenger. "There's a lot of interest in our communities and fan bases. A lot of people care deeply about the Pac-12 and Pac-12 brand. There is a lot of nostalgia about the possibility of a rebuild."

In addition to Cal and Stanford, several other schools still left the conference at the end of the 2023 season. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington went to the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah chose to move to the Big 12.

As the Pac-12 attempts to return, it appears that the conference is continuing to generate interest after officially adding four programs on Thursday.