Reports: Pac-12 adding Utah State, in talks with Gonzaga, as Mountain West tries to hold UNLV

Mark Few

The Pac-12 is adding Utah State as its seventh member and is in discussions with basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join the rebuilding conference in 2026, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

In a whirlwind day of maneuvering by three leagues, Utah State and UNLV of the Mountain West became prime targets for the Pac-12 after a group of American Athletic Conference schools decided to stay put, following a pitch to join the rebuilding Conference of Champions.

Utah State, based in Logan, accepted the Pac-12’s invitation, according to two people, but UNLV’s decision was uncertain as Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez worked to keep the conference’s remaining schools together.

The Mountain West received commitments from Air Force and San Jose State earlier in the day, according to two other people with knowledge of that conference’s situation, but it was unclear if anything was binding if the rest of the remaining members were not on board. Air Force had been drawing interest from the AAC to join Army and Navy in that conference.

The other Mountain West schools include New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Hawaii for football only.

The people all spoke on condition of anonymity because both Pac-12’s and Mountain West’s strategy and internal discussions were not being made public.

The Pac-12’s latest expansion addition, which was not immediately confirmed by the league, came hours after four American Athletic Conference schools announced they remained committed to the AAC.

Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA released a statement that made no mention of the Pac-12, but several people with knowledge of those talks told AP the conference had targeted those schools as potential new members.

“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other,” the schools said. “Together, we…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/reports-pac-12-adding-utah-165650915.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-24 16:56:50

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.