Utah State joins Pac-12, UNLV explores options in realignment saga

The Pac-12 is oriented towards the West.

Pac-12 leaders are mobilizing to recruit more expansion members after a group of American Athletic Conference schools decided to reject the league's interest in joining. The conference has already received a commitment from Utah State and made an offer to join to UNLV, sources tell Yahoo Sports.

Pac-12 officials and their consulting firm Navigate met late into the night to discuss potential expansion options. The league continues to hold talks with basketball giants Gonzaga and UConn and is exploring other options, with UNLV remaining the main target.

The clock is ticking, however. The Mountain West is trying to literally secure its membership with financial incentives, much of which comes from the exit and expected penalty fees the league owes from schools that have moved to the Pac-12. The exit and penalty fees are expected to exceed $120 million.

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

Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez set a deadline of 5 p.m. MT Monday for schools to sign a contract while the Pac-12 rushed to recruit more members. That deadline passed without a signature coming from UNLV.

The Mountain West agreement is contingent on maintaining eight full members, the NCAA minimum to qualify as an FBS conference. With Utah State's departure, the league now has seven full members (Hawaii is only a partial member and competes only in football). The Pac-12 also has seven full members with the addition of Utah State.

To rebuild the conference, Oregon State and Washington State last week completed the first phase of a multi-stage expansion initiative, adding Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State. The teams will join the league in July 2026 and each owe the Mountain West an exit fee of at least $17 million.

The pool of candidates for the Pac-12 and the Mountain West is shrinking. UNLV's situation in Nevada is interesting. The Nevada System of Higher Education and its Board of Regents govern both schools and must approve decisions regarding conference affiliation. The state's current governor, Joe Lombardo, is a UNLV graduate. University of Nevada-Reno President Brian Sandoval is a two-term governor of the state and commands respect and power among the Regents.

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