Conference Realignment Updates

Not sure if this has already been posted, but PAC12 is adding 5 MWC schools.

Colorado State
Boise State
Utah State
San Diego State
Fresno State

Pac12 updates
For those interested in the (robust) legal saga surrounding this move: https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/re...or-the-future-of-the-pac-12-and-mountain-west

Pac 12 still needs to add one more full football-playing member (can't be a football affiliate to pair with non-football Gonzaga) to meet FBS minimum requirements.
 
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Some of the conference switching has trickled down to DIII. I see that Luther College will be joining the Midwest Conference in the fall of 2026. Perhaps the new conference will conducive to a bit more winning for the Norse. Things have really been lean for a while.
 

Louisiana Tech will exit Conference USA and return to the Sun Belt conference, filling in for the departure of Texas State. Starting year TBD.
 

Some of the conference switching has trickled down to DIII. I see that Luther College will be joining the Midwest Conference in the fall of 2026. Perhaps the new conference will conducive to a bit more winning for the Norse. Things have really been lean for a while.
Where have you gone Bernie Peters?
 




Louisiana Tech will exit Conference USA and return to the Sun Belt conference, filling in for the departure of Texas State. Starting year TBD.
I believe the new PAC and now this move will both be at the start of the 2026 season.


Grand Canyon was supposed to move to the Mountain West then, too, but now they suddenly moved up to this year to the great consternation of the schools leaving the MWC for the PAC.
 

I believe the new PAC and now this move will both be at the start of the 2026 season.


Grand Canyon was supposed to move to the Mountain West then, too, but now they suddenly moved up to this year to the great consternation of the schools leaving the MWC for the PAC.
Interesting about LA Tech, because I'd heard that the other two Louisiana schools were not exactly in favor about letting them in.

Is GCU going to start a football team?
 




Interesting about LA Tech, because I'd heard that the other two Louisiana schools were not exactly in favor about letting them in.
This ESPN article says the West division supported it, with the pushback being from the East, so I guess they changed their position...? Not sure.


Is GCU going to start a football team?
The last I had seen, no - they didn't appear to have any plans for football and were content to focus on basketball (primarily).
 

Interesting about LA Tech, because I'd heard that the other two Louisiana schools were not exactly in favor about letting them in.

Is GCU going to start a football team?
Great question, that I would like to know too!

They basically have the same business (Christian for profit, large online diploma base) as Liberty, don't they?
 

Great question, that I would like to know too!

They basically have the same business (Christian for profit, large online diploma base) as Liberty, don't they?
Neither Liberty or GCU are for profit institutions.
 




GCU must have changed then, I know this was an issue with them in the past.
GCU has always been classified as a not for profit by the IRS. The Dept of Ed for a time and no doubt for political reasons classified GCU as for profit.
 

GCU has always been classified as a not for profit by the IRS. The Dept of Ed for a time and no doubt for political reasons classified GCU as for profit.

GCU was founded as a nonprofit Christian institution date back to its founding in 1949. However, financial distress led the university to convert to a for-profit model in 2004, backed by a group of private investors and steered by its parent company, Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (GCE). While the move provided much-needed stability, it also brought new challenges as GCU, now a for-profit institution, faced the mounting skepticism and regulatory scrutiny often directed at for-profit colleges.

After nearly a decade of expansion, GCU sought to shed its for-profit label, citing concerns over the “stigma” tied to such institutions. In 2018, GCU restructured its relationship with GCE, declaring itself a nonprofit under the IRS and Arizona state law while maintaining close operational ties with its parent company.

The IRS granted the university nonprofit status, and the Arizona state government recognized it as such. However, the U.S. Department of Education took a different stance, denying GCU’s application to be federally recognized as a nonprofit under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
 


GCU was founded as a nonprofit Christian institution date back to its founding in 1949. However, financial distress led the university to convert to a for-profit model in 2004, backed by a group of private investors and steered by its parent company, Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (GCE). While the move provided much-needed stability, it also brought new challenges as GCU, now a for-profit institution, faced the mounting skepticism and regulatory scrutiny often directed at for-profit colleges.

After nearly a decade of expansion, GCU sought to shed its for-profit label, citing concerns over the “stigma” tied to such institutions. In 2018, GCU restructured its relationship with GCE, declaring itself a nonprofit under the IRS and Arizona state law while maintaining close operational ties with its parent company.

The IRS granted the university nonprofit status, and the Arizona state government recognized it as such. However, the U.S. Department of Education took a different stance, denying GCU’s application to be federally recognized as a nonprofit under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
touche
 


Gotta think they'll end up in Big Ten:


Go Gophers!!
I would think a final big ten expansion attempts to get 24 or 28 (nice numbers for scheduling)

That means 6 or 10 teams join:


The Prime candidates (not all realistic)
Utah
Arizona State
Colorado
Texas A&M
Notre dame
Virginia
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Missouri


Fallback team(s) to fill in to make it a number they like:
Florida state, Kansas, Pitt, Stanford, Miami, Arizona (if no ASU), NC State (if no UNC), Virginia Tech (if no UVA)

I am trying to think of other teams from outside this list that could get considered.



The big ten made a big mistake not offering Texas and Oklahoma when they looked at SEC, in my opinion.
The league would be at 20 and would be in prime position.
 

So the revenue has to jump significantly with 24 teams. For easy math:
100 million divided by 18 is 5.5 million
150 million divided by 24 is 6.25 million but the numbers are bigger in reality so the increase has to be a lotta money. At least 50% of the total more.
And if you are paying $75 million to leave its gotta pay a lot! It's $20 million payout now?
A lotta high stakes decisions.
 

I would think a final big ten expansion attempts to get 24 or 28 (nice numbers for scheduling)

That means 6 or 10 teams join:


The Prime candidates (not all realistic)
Utah
Arizona State
Colorado
Texas A&M
Notre dame
Virginia
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Missouri


Fallback team(s) to fill in to make it a number they like:
Florida state, Kansas, Pitt, Stanford, Miami, Arizona (if no ASU), NC State (if no UNC), Virginia Tech (if no UVA)

I am trying to think of other teams from outside this list that could get considered.



The big ten made a big mistake not offering Texas and Oklahoma when they looked at SEC, in my opinion.
The league would be at 20 and would be in prime position.
I can't see the B1G taking the Big 12 teams above they could have taken them very recently. I don't see the SEC teams leaving the SEC, especially where the scenario where the B1G gets to 20 or 24 team also sees the SEC make a similar expansion, with the top 2 leagues taking the most valuable ACC teams and creating a more exclusive top level of college football. If I can talk out of both sides of my mouth, though, it's hard to see growth markets like CO, AZ and UT left out of the big leagues.
 



I'd take top 2 to get to 20.
Notre Dame
BYU
To get to 24, I'd say a combin
Miami
Kansas
Arizona State
Duke
Baylor
Houston
Florida State
 

Just go to 8 regional conferences with 12 teams per conference. Set the CFP at the 8 conference winners (and maybe 8 at-large).
 



Not sure where you're getting your info?
The B1G had extensive talks with Texas prior to UT's decision to accept the invitation to join the SEC.
Talks is not an offer...and Texas was never going to give up its status within the Big 12 (either time they were bandied about) to join the Big Ten...and Oklahoma was a non-starter because they are not in the AAU** which made the whole thing moot anyways.



**this obviously doesn't matter now
 




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