Latest news with #Pac12
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three years after USC and UCLA led mass defections, Pac-12 adds Texas State as 8th member
Three years after USC and UCLA triggered a mass exodus by bolting for the Big Ten, the Pac-12 has extended an invitation to Texas State to give the conference eight football-playing members. Texas State, currently part of the Sun Belt Conference, is expected to accept the offer Monday, according to several media outlets. The school would join the Pac-12 in July 2026. Advertisement USC and UCLA transformed the college sports landscape by leaving the Pac-12 on June 30, 2022, citing the Big Ten's $8-billion media-rights deal as the primary motivation. Ten Pac-12 teams eventually departed, leaving only Washington State and Oregon State as members. The Pac-12 contemplated folding, but instead added five state schools from the Mountain West Conference and Gonzaga, a private, non-football playing school from the West Coast Conference. When it accepts the invitation, Texas State will be the next addition. The school made its first bowl appearance in the program's 121-year history in 2023, defeating Rice in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. The Bobcats won the same bowl in 2024, this time against North Texas. Read more: Full coverage: USC, UCLA leaving Pac-12 to join Big Ten Advertisement Texas State will give the Pac-12 eight football-playing teams, the minimum number of members to continue as an NCAA conference. Although long in the shadow of Texas, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas Tech, Texas State is a growing university located in San Marcos, a booming suburb located on Interstate 35 about halfway between Austin and San Antonio. The Bobcats also bring a reasonably strong portfolio of non-revenue sports, having won an award as the top-performing school in the Sun Belt across all sports in three of the last four years. The Pac-12 had courted Memphis as the eighth football-playing school, but Memphis athletic director Ed Scott told the Memphis Commercial Appeal a week ago that the school was working to join a Power 4 conference — a nonofficial term for the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, four conferences that operate with relative autonomy. 'I know [Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould is] worried about finding her eighth full member," Scott said. "I'm worried about trying to get us into a Power 4 conference. That is our first goal, unequivocally. That's always been our goal.' Advertisement The Pac-12 has long lagged in media exposure, especially on television, but on Monday announced a multimedia deal with CBS as the anchor partner from 2026 to 2031. Texas State was encouraged by the TV deal, and the Pac-12 was under pressure to add the Bobcats before July 1, when their exit fee from the Sun Belt would double from $5 million to $10 million. Read more: 'It was a real blessing': Ben Howland remains grateful long after leaving UCLA Under the deal, CBS will broadcast a minimum of four football and men's basketball games per season on its main network and provide a cable and streaming presence. All Washington State and Oregon State games will be broadcast on The CW, CBS or ESPN this fall. The new deal with CBS and other media partners would begin in 2026 when Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State and Gonzaga join the Pac-12 along with Texas State. Texas State's move would trigger a domino effect, with the Sun Belt looking toward Conference USA for a replacement. Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee have been mentioned as possibilities. Advertisement The new Pac-12 is expected to be strongest in men's basketball because of the inclusion of Gonzaga and San Diego State, but the conference could be solid in football as well. Boise State made the College Football Playoff last season, one of five schools joining the Pac-12 that played in a bowl. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why the Pac-12 is adding Texas State, how it rebuilt and next steps in realignment
The Pac-12 Conference has extended an offer to Texas State to join the league in July 2026, and barring any late changes, the school is expected to officially accept the invitation on Monday, according to multiple people briefed on the Pac-12's decision. The Austin Sports Journal first reported the news. Advertisement The Bobcats will become the conference's eighth football-playing full member and finally give the rebuilt league the minimum number of members to continue as an NCAA conference. After years of collapse and uncertainty, the Pac will be back. The move will come almost three years to the day that USC and UCLA announced their move to the Big Ten, which started a chain of events that led 10 of 12 Pac-12 members to depart for the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC. It left just Oregon State and Washington State holding the mantle of a century-old league. Instead of folding and joining a Group of 5 conference, they chose to rebuild, adding five schools from the Mountain West, non-football member Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference and soon Texas State from the Sun Belt Conference. Texas State is in San Marcos, a booming college town nestled between Austin and San Antonio. Its football program moved up to FBS in 2012, and the Bobcats are coming off their first two bowl seasons in program history and have a rising coach in G.J. Kinne. They've also won three of the last four Vic Bubas Cups, awarded to the top-performing school in the Sun Belt across all sports. It was important for Pac-12 stakeholders to get into Texas, something former commissioners had tried. Under Larry Scott, the Pac-12 once almost became the Pac-16, with Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Texas State isn't that, but the state brings a valuable recruiting area and a third time zone. It's also a fast-growing school, now with more than 40,000 students. Monday, the Pac-12 announced CBS would be its primary TV partner, part of a full media rights package that is not yet finished but is expected to include up to four broadcast partners. CBS will air at least three football and men's basketball games on the main CBS network channel, along with the conference championship game in both sports. CBS Sports Network will also air Pac-12 content. Advertisement As the old Pac-12 crumbled and scattered to other conferences, many industry observers expected Oregon State and Washington State to fold into the Mountain West. The pair even made a football scheduling agreement with the MWC for the 2024 season. But when the sides couldn't come to terms on a 2025 schedule, the Pac-2 went on the offensive. Four Mountain West schools announced last September they would jump to the rebuilding Pac-12 with OSU and WSU, shedding the MWC schools they felt didn't invest as much and trying to better position themselves for the next round of conference realignment. 'This is about the next five years,' one school official told The Athletic. The group turned to schools in the American Athletic Conference like Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA, hoping to create a top conference outside the Power 4. But questions and concerns about the Pac-12's financial projections, along with the cost of leaving the AAC and its ESPN TV deal, led those schools to stay put. The Pac-12 turned back to Mountain West options and convinced Utah State to join, but UNLV and Air Force stuck with the MWC, thanks to tens of millions in financial guarantees from the league for staying. The Pac-12 added basketball powerhouse Gonzaga, a non-football school, but remained one football school short of the eight members required by July 2026. So the league put its staggered expansion on pause and focused on securing its media rights deal, getting concrete numbers to take back to prospective members. That happened this spring and into the summer. Along the way, the Pac-12 sued the MWC over poaching fees that were part of the 2024 schedule agreement. Some of the departing schools also sued the MWC over exit fees. Around $150 million is owed to the MWC over those moves, per the contracts. However, the sides have been in mediation for more than a month. They could agree on a smaller settlement, or it could continue in court. Those prospective funds were used to convince UNLV and Air Force to stay in the MWC. Advertisement 'They want to walk back what they legally agreed to,' the MWC said in a statement last year. 'There has to be a consequence to these types of actions.' While 'Power 4' is not an official term, the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are 'autonomy' conferences, a group that can make some of its own rules. That group voted last year to remove the two-member Pac-12 from autonomy ranks, and it's not expected to get voted back in. That means the new Pac-12 gives us a 'Group of 6' outside the Power 4, beginning next year. The auto-bid discussion around a potential 4-4-2-2-1 College Football Playoff format change would group the Pac-12 with the current G5 for a single bid, if that format happens. On the football field, the Pac-12 will look to be similar to the AAC. Five of the future eight Pac-12 members made a bowl game last year, and Boise State reached the College Football Playoff as a conference champion. The AAC had nine bowl teams, and Navy beat Oklahoma in its bowl. Those leagues are likely to battle for a CFP spot in most years, given their depth, but the Sun Belt continues to improve each year as well, and teams such as UNLV in the Mountain West and Liberty in Conference USA could also get in the mix. Or a team could emerge from an evenly matched MAC like Western Michigan did in 2016. In men's basketball, the Pac-12 should be a strong conference. Four of the nine teams made last year's NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga is an annual powerhouse and San Diego State played in the national championship game two seasons ago. The Pac-12 says its makeup of teams would have the fourth-best average NET rating over the last five years, ahead of the Big East and ACC. The eight schools that were on board before the Texas State invitation signed a grant of rights last year, which runs through June 2031, according to membership terms made last year and obtained by The Athletic. Those terms indicate media rights will be shared equally across all full members. Schools will also keep 50 percent of any earned NCAA basketball tournament units for themselves and share the remaining 50 percent equally. Group of 6 schools will each receive around $1.8 million annually from the CFP, even for those moving from the MWC to the Pac-12, with no participation bonus for making the field. But before it begins play, the Pac-12 must finish the rest of its TV deal. Though the value of potential TV deals was a driving factor in its conversations with prospective members, the actual final number is still not known because the other parts of the deal are not complete. The Pac-12's media rights also impact the Mountain West, whose TV deal that currently includes CBS and Fox expires in mid-2026. The MWC responded to its membership losses by making Hawaii an all-sports member, adding UTEP in all sports, UC Davis and Grand Canyon in sports except football, and Northern Illinois as a football-only member. That league's TV negotiations are also ongoing. Texas State's impending move doesn't quite finish the conference realignment that began four years ago with Texas' and Oklahoma's move to the SEC. To fill the Bobcats' spot, the Sun Belt is expected to move quickly and is focused on Louisiana Tech or Western Kentucky from CUSA, a person briefed on the Sun Belt's thinking said. Louisiana Tech is a better geographic fit despite its recent football struggles and would give the SBC three teams in the state. CUSA will expand to 12 members this year, with Delaware and Missouri State coming up from the Football Championship Subdivision. If CUSA drops to 10 by losing UTEP and someone else, it most likely will stick with an even 10 schools for the time being, rather than attempt to add another FCS school, a person familiar with the league's thinking said. The MAC is also set to add UMass this year and lose NIU next year, putting it at 12 schools for 2026. Advertisement The Pac-12 might not be done, either. The idea of affiliate members like Saint Mary's basketball or Dallas Baptist baseball has been discussed, according to people involved in the talks. While this round of conference realignment nears its end, we might be only a few years away from the next round, when Power 4 media rights deals begin to come up. Schools that joined the new Pac-12 have acknowledged this move isn't about setting up the next 20 years. It was about positioning themselves for five years from now and whatever the next change in college sports looks like. We have a Big Ten with 18 teams and an ACC on both coasts. The Pac-12 is not what it used to be, but it's still alive. For the schools set to join it, that still means something.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Report: Pac-12 expected to formally invite Texas State as member
June 25 - The Pac-12 is continuing to rebuild its membership with its newest member expected to be Texas State, according to ESPN. Per ESPN, Texas State officials have informed the Sun Belt Conference that the university is expecting an offer from the Pac-12 "in the near future." While a formal offer has yet to be extended, Texas State could join the conference for the 2026-27 school year. According to Texas open meeting laws, Texas State would need to put in a 72-hour notice to convene the board of regents, meaning that a formal conclusion to the process may not occur until Monday at the earliest. While Texas State has long been considered a favorite to join the Pac-12, anticipation has ramped up this week as the university's exit fee to join the conference would double from $5 million to $10 million on July 1. To avoid paying that lofty fee, Texas State's invitation would need to come this week in time for formal board approval. If it goes through, Texas State would become the new Pac-12's eighth football school, which is the minimum for the league to be recognized as an official FBS conference. (Gonzaga will also join the Pac-12 but does not sponsor football.) As it stands, the Pac-12 consists of holdover members Oregon State and Washington State as well as Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State. --Field Level Media
Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Pac-12 extends deal with CBS Sports through 2030-31
June 23 - The Pac-12 Conference and CBS Sports have extended their media partnership through the 2030-31 season. As part of the deal announced Monday, CBS will broadcast the Pac-12 football and men's basketball championship games and at least three regular-season football and men's basketball contests each season starting in 2026-27. The games will also be streamed via Paramount+. "Our goal with this process was to find transformational partnerships for the new Pac-12, and throughout our discussions and time together it became more and more clear that a partnership with CBS Sports would be just that," Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. Additional Pac-12 football and men's basketball regular-season games will air on CBS Sports Network, with details announced at a later date. "As the new Pac-12's primary media partner, CBS Sports' top-tier coverage will showcase the best of the conference's football and men's basketball games annually across our platforms, including the championship game for both sports," said Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of programming at CBS Sports. "Extending this partnership strengthens our multiplatform college football and basketball schedule and, at a pivotal moment for the new Pac-12, allows us to collaborate, grow the conference and expand its reach." Pac-12 membership has been radically altered since a 2024 realignment saw 10 of 12 members depart, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State. The "new" Pac-12 launches in 2026-27 with the additions of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State. Gonzaga is also coming aboard for sports other than football, and multiple reports have cited Texas State as the favorite to become the Pac-12's eighth football program. As for the 2025 football season, the Pac-12 announced in April that all of Oregon State's and Washington State's home games will air on either CBS Sports, The CW Network and ESPN. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rebuilding Pac-12 reaches deal with CBS for its football and men's basketball games
The Pac-12 struck a media-rights deal with CBS on Monday that sets up the network to broadcast a minimum of four football and men's basketball games per season on its main network and provide a cable and streaming presence for the reconfigured league from 2026-31. Financial details of the new deal were not disclosed. Conference Commissioner Teresa Gould called it a 'transformational partnership' that allows the Pac-12 to grow when it starts as a remodeled league in 2026-27. Advertisement An inability to secure a media deal is what nearly cratered the league in 2023, with all but Oregon State and Washington State departing for the Big 12, Atlantic Coast and Big Ten Conferences. The Pac-12 already had deals in place to put all of the two remaining teams' football games on the CW, ESPN and CBS for the upcoming season. The new deal with what the league calls its 'primary long-term media partner' kicks in the next season, when Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State will join the Pac-12 in all sports, with Gonzaga joining in everything but football. The Pac-12 needs to add another football program to reach the minimum eight teams necessary to be in the Football Bowl Subdivision and, thus, the College Football Playoff. Multiple reports say Texas State has emerged as the top candidate. Advertisement Under the new deal, CBS will broadcast at least three regular-season football and men's basketball games per season, along with the championship games for both sports. The league also will have what it called a 'consistent regular-season presence' on the cable CBS Sports Network. Details are still being finalized as Pac-12 media negotiator, Octagon, works on finding additional media partners for the league. ___ AP college football: Eddie Pells, The Associated Press
