After a fallout that saw 10 of its 12 member schools leave, the remaining Pac-12 Conference members, Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars (informally known as the “Pac-2”) shocked the college football world after announcing the addition of four new members.
Beginning on July 1, 2026, the Boise State Broncos, Colorado State Rams, San Diego State Aztecs, and Fresno State Bulldogs will call the Pac-12 home as the conference strengthens its legacy.
“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Commissioner Teresa Gould stated. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”
The four new additions are current members of the Mountain West Conference (MWC), which currently has a college football scheduling agreement for the 2024 season with the Pac-12’s Oregon State and Washington State. As part of that agreement, the Pac-12 will reportedly owe the MWC a $10-12M penalty fee for each MWC school that joins the conference, according to a report from SBJ. That fee is an addition to the reported $17M exit fee that each school has to pay the MWC to join the Pac-12.
With the poaching of four MWC programs, it remains to be seen what the current Pac-12 schools do for their 2025 college football schedule as they transition to 2026. Under NCAA rules, the Pac-12 needs eight teams to be FBS eligible, so the conference will be looking to add two more members before its two-year grace period ends in 2026.
A Look at Potential Media Partners
Notably, the rebuilt Pac-12 is searching for a media deal that is larger than the Mountain West’s current deals, per SBJ. The reports suggest that cash was a factor in the four schools jumping ship, instead of staying and sharing with the “lower-budget conference mates.”
As linear television subscriptions decline, live sports continue to be popular for streaming services. The Pac-12 could soon follow the trend of the major four sports leagues in North America beefing up the availability of their games on various digital services. The NFL could reportedly opt out of its current deal for more streaming options and the MLB, NHL, and NBA are examining the future of their RSN deals if Bally Sports goes bankrupt.
The Pac-12 could have a host of suitors with more streaming options available than ever. Cord cutters can find live college football games streaming on Paramount+, Peacock, ESPN+, and Max among other platforms. Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV+ also air live sports and could look to boost their portfolios with Saturday football.
Let’s take an early look at possible TV and media options for the Pac-12 after its expansion.
Expanding the Current Agreement With Fox & The CW
After the 10 former members left for greener pastures of the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12, the Pac-12 were left without national media partners. For the 2024 season, the conference struck a deal with The CW and Fox as their broadcast homes. Of the league’s 13 home football games, 11 will air on The CW and two will air on FOX of FS1.
Depending on how the networks value the Pac-12 after the additional schools join during expansion, fans shouldn’t count out the idea of an extension. Fox Sports could look to plump up their portfolio with more college football, although, the company has said they are focused more on sports betting with FanDuel.
The CW has had a strategic shift with live sports under its new parent company Nexstar Media Group. The network’s college football venture started with a deal with the ACC that saw a game with the Big 12 as its first broadcast. Other sports currently airing on the network include LIV Golf, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series later this month. Starting in October, WWE NXT will call The CW home as part of a five-year deal.
With the ACC mostly made up of East Coast schools, outside of SMU and former Pac-12 members Stanford and California, the time zone difference could prove beneficial to a CW deal. If the Pac-12 continues with adding schools on the West Coast or in the Mountain Time Zone, or how things shake out during conference realignment, The CW could be a serious contender in a future TV rights deal.
Return of the Pac-12 Network & DTC
The old incarnation of the Pac-12 had its own network before all seven channels shut down earlier this year. The P12N did have trouble gaining widespread distribution in the age of cord cutting.
If the rebuilt Pac-12 decides to reboot the Pac-12 Network it could learn from its past. By the time the network shut down, Fubo, and Sling TV were the only live TV streaming services carrying the network. A relaunched Pac-12 Network made widely available on DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV would give millions more fans access to the games and help grow the conference. Adding, a direct-to-consumer option would also be the first of its kind in a major college conference.
A new Pac-12 Network could learn from the Big Ten Network as well. After Oregon, USC, Washington, and UCLA left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, their games were blacked out on the West Coast for Comcast Xfinity subscribers. Clauses could be set in the contracts for future expansions so fans won’t miss out on games during the season. Incidentally, the Pac-12 had a $72 million overpayment scandal with Comcast that you can read more about here.
TNT Sports Could Add Pac-12 to Boost Max
TNT Sports could look to add the Pac-12 to bolster the lineup of live sports on Max and its linear channels. The Warner Bros. Discovery network has been busy this year in the realm of college football. With TNT, TBS, and truTV on linear channels and Max as a streaming service, TNT Sports added Mountain West Conference games and for the first time, it will sublicense the College Football Playoffs from ESPN.
With reports circulating that Max subscribers will have to start paying for the B/R Sports add-on soon, adding live Pac-12 games would give subscribers more content for their buck. Plus, truTV is shifting to more sports content and West Coast games could added to its programming block.
With the NBA leaving TNT after the upcoming season, those resources could go to the new Pac-12 as it wouldn’t cost as much. Losing the NBA could hurt how distributors view the linear networks, but adding the Pac-12 could help soften the blow without WBD breaking the bank.
Apple TV+ Deal Could Be A Pac-12 Sleeper
Apple TV+ has expanded into live sports by striking deals with the MLB for Friday Night Baseball and becoming the home of all things MLS. Before the other schools jumped ship, the Pac-12 was in heavy talks to make Apple TV its new home. However, due to money, those other schools left and the Pac-12-Apple deal never happened.
Comparably, last year, The CW and Pac-12 discussed a deal and those talks ceased, yet the network currently airs their games, so never say never. Plus, sports are a great way to grow Apple TV+, and depending on what other schools fill out the new Pac-12 when the dust settles, Apple could come calling. As Amazon continues to bolster Prime Video, Apple has to implement a strategy to compete with a fellow tech giant.
ESPN+, Paramount+, & Peacock
Other notable streamers that currently air college football that could look to add the Pac-12 to their portfolios include Paramount+, Peacock, and ESPN+. Let’s look at the current landscape and how the conference could fit.
Of the three, ESPN+ and the ESPN linear networks air the most Division 1 FBS games, including the Big 12, ACC, SEC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, MAC, and American conferences. The old Pac-12 had a deal with ESPN, but the value during its renewal was one of the reasons why the other 10 schools left. As ESPN is home to the College Football Playoffs for the next six years, the conference would have to consider the network in a future deal. If the former MWC schools and future additions manage to get what they are looking for then the Disney-owned network would be a major player.
The only Power 4 conference that is streaming on Peacock and Paramount+ is the Big Ten, with the former also airing Notre Dame games. The MAC, C-USA, MWC, Army, Navy, UConn, and the FCS NEC also air games on CBS. As the Pac-12 continues to expand, both services could entice subscribers by adding the West Coast conference to their lineup. For the Pac-12 either would be a good fit as the “Conference of Champions” has a reputation and brand that helps it stand out above others.
What do you think about the latest additions to the Pac-12 and where would you want to watch their games? Let us know in the comments.