San Diego State, 3 other Mountain West schools to join Pac-12 Conference

A new era

The Pac-12 Conference is expanding again, this time by four teams from the Mountain West Conference. San Diego State, Fresno State, Nevada, and Boise State have all accepted invitations to join the Pac-12, the conference announced Thursday. The move is a major coup for the Pac-12, which has been looking to expand for several years. The conference has been at 12 teams since 2011, when Colorado and Utah left for the Big 12 and Pac-12, respectively. The addition of the four Mountain West schools will give the Pac-12 a presence in four new states: California, Nevada, Idaho, and New Mexico. It will also make the conference the largest in the country, with 16 teams. The move is also a blow to the Mountain West, which will lose four of its most successful programs. San Diego State has won the Mountain West football championship three times in the past five years, while Fresno State has won the title twice in that span. Nevada and Boise State have also been regular contenders for the conference title. The four schools are expected to join the Pac-12 in 2023.

Reasons for the expansion

There are several reasons why the Pac-12 is expanding. One reason is to increase its revenue. The conference will now have a larger footprint in the lucrative California market, and it will also add two schools from Nevada, which is a growing state. Another reason for the expansion is to improve the conference’s competitiveness. The Pac-12 has struggled to keep up with the other Power Five conferences in recent years, and the addition of four strong programs from the Mountain West should help to close the gap. The expansion will also give the Pac-12 a more national presence. The conference will now have teams from coast to coast, and it will be better positioned to compete for national championships.

Impact on the Mountain West

The departure of four of its most successful programs will be a major blow to the Mountain West. The conference will lose a significant amount of revenue, and it will also be harder to attract top recruits. However, the Mountain West is still a strong conference, and it should be able to weather the storm. The conference has a number of other strong programs, such as Wyoming, Air Force, and Utah State, and it should be able to continue to compete for bowl games and conference championships.

Conclusion

The expansion of the Pac-12 is a major development for college football. The conference will now be the largest in the country, and it will have a presence in four new states. The move is also a blow to the Mountain West, but the conference should be able to weather the storm.