Sports

Reports Link Remaining PAC12 Teams To New Conferences; One G5 And One P5 League

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An American Athletic Conference logo on the football field.

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New reports are already linking the four remaining PAC 12 members to new conferences. A pair of leagues are reportedly interested in adding the West Coast programs in hopes expansion.

The news comes shortly after the conference’s mass exodus as eight schools have announced intentions to leave. Should the rest of the universities follow suit, the PAC 12 could be no more.

USC and UCLA started the process by partnering with the Big Ten. A year later, Colorado decided to return to the Big XII, sparking a domino effect in the league.

Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah will join the Buffaloes in 2024 as they, too, head to the Big XII. Oregon and Washington, meanwhile, will soon head to the B1G.

That’s left the league with just Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State.

It appears there are conferences ready to pounce. The American Athletic Conference is reportedly interested in adding each of the four remaining programs.

The Group of Five league is one of the more respected in college sports.

East Carolina, Memphis, SMU, and Tulane annually field competitive teams on the gridiron while Wichita State, Temple, FAU, and Tulsa provide strong basketball brands.

The AAC could be in the market for high profile programs given the recent losses of Cincinnati, Houston, and BYU. The quartet of PAC 12 teams would certainly fit the bill, though travel would be extensive for the Pacific-based programs.

There could be some competition, though, at least for a couple of those potential additions.

ACC reportedly interested in PAC 12 teams Cal, Stanford.

While the AAC is supposedly interested in keeping all four teams together, the ACC is reportedly planning to reach out to two members. Stanford and Cal have been linked to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is apparently looking to expand its footprint.

The majority of teams in the league reside on the East Coast, making the Bears and Cardinal outliers should they be added. Still, they seem to fit the academic resume that the ACC is looking for.

They’d also add some history, and at least one notable basketball brand in Stanford.

It will be interesting to see how the initial talks unfold. It seems that the ball is already rolling in potential realignment discussions given Cal’s recent scheduling of a special board meeting.

It may not take long for the next wave of movement, and the demise of the PAC 12.