The Pac-12 is adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State, starting in 2026, to join Oregon State and Washington State in a rebuilt Conference of Champions.
The additions rob the Mountain West of four of its more prominent schools and successful football programs, most notably Boise State, and still leave the Pac-12 two schools short of the eight they need to have in place in two years by NCAA rule.
The Pac-12 and the departing schools will likely be on the hook for about $110 million in exit fees and penalties to the Mountain West.
Still, it is a remarkable comeback for a conference left for dead a year ago when 10 members scattered to other power conferences after it was unable to secure a media rights deal that schools believed could keep them competitive with other leagues.
“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “We will …