'This is truly a startup': How the 'new' Pac-12 is taking shape

FOR OVER THREE years, the Pac-12 has existed in various states of transition.

That is how long it has been since USC and UCLA announced they were leaving the conference for the Big Ten, knocking over conference realignment dominoes on the West Coast that only recently came to rest -- at least for now.

For months, perhaps longer, survival was in question.

Now, the future is beginning to take shape.

With Texas State officially on board as the ninth member -- and, critically, an eighth football-playing member -- a cornerstone media partnership with CBS secured and a strategic plan unfolding around its proprietary production facility, the Pac-12 can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"This is truly a startup," said Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould. "On July 1, 2026, we are launching a new and different league, and it's not the old Pac-12 -- it's a new Pac-12. We essentially get to start over with a blank slate and create something new."

Except, in this case, what is new is also over 100 years old. Washington State and Oregon State, the two remaining legacy members, are no longer just participants. They're co-architects. And for those two institutions, in particular, there is finally a feeling they're on solid ground again.

"We were at some events this last week talking with people, and they were like, 'Well, what's the main difference between this year and last year or the year prior?" said WSU athletic director Anne McCoy. "And the answer is firm ground. It feels like we have firm ground: something that we can envision, we can wrap our minds around. It's something that will be happening, not something that we hope happens."

There are still unknowns, including unresolved litigation with the Mountain West and decisions to be made around sport sponsorships, affiliates, postseason formats and more.

The Pac-12 knows what it wants to be. Now, it's building toward that future.

BEFORE THE PAC-12 CAN reinvent itself, it must get through one more season in limbo.

This fall, Washington State and Oregon State will again compete as quasi football independents. They'll be members of the Pac-12 in name but operate as independents for 10 games outside a home-and-home series with each other.

Behind the scenes, the conference remains responsible for key operational duties: officiating crews, replay oversight and select championships still fall under the league's purview. But the academic year ahead will likely be more about setting the stage for 2026.

"This is a balance," Gould said. "We still have obligations and services to provide to Oregon State and Washington State, but we're also building something."

It's a logistical tightrope, and while the path ahead is clearer than it was a year ago, not all the pieces are in place.

As the Pac-12 begins its reinvention, a legal dispute with the Mountain West continues to play out in the background -- one that could influence both leagues in the months ahead.

In a civil complaint filed last year in federal court, the Pac-12 challenged the legality of a "poaching penalty" included in a football scheduling agreement it signed with the Mountain West in December 2023. The total sum in play is around $55 million that the MW believes it is owed.

A mediation process did not find a resolution, and now the parties are scheduled to be back in court on Sept. 9. Also in dispute are the exit fees the five departing Mountain West schools are on the hook for, which were originally expected to be around $19 million each.

This process has been contentious, with the MW issuing a statement last week calling into question the actions of its departing members -- Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

"This litigation centers on the obligation of these institutions to pay the exit fees clearly defined in the Mountain West Conference bylaws --policies they not only helped develop and adopt, but also sought to enforce against San Diego State in the summer of 2023. It is, therefore, inconsistent and unjust for these same institutions to now attempt to evade their responsibilities," the statement read. "In fact, the departing schools have agreed to similar exit fee provisions as part of their membership in the Pac-12. The Mountain West is prepared to respond to whatever assertions may be included in the Second Amended Complaint. We remain confident in our legal position, which we will vigorously defend."

Privately, there is a shared sentiment that both conferences want the litigation behind them, but for these schools and these conferences, the amount of money in play is significant. Both sides feel strongly in their legal position and now appear ready to roll the dice at trial.

"I look forward to that day," Gould said of the eventual conclusion. "We've all got a lot of work to do, and I look forward to that getting resolved so we can move forward."

THE PAC-12 NO longer holds autonomy status within the NCAA. It's not part of the new power structure that governs the College Football Playoff. It has no guaranteed access to the top revenue streams or governance models that define the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.

Still, the conference has begun branding efforts to assert itself as a "Top 5" league. Top 5, in this case, is synonymous with "No. 5," with a clear divide from the current Power 4.

"I think there's a lot of focus nationally on legislative designations and what does it mean and all of that," Gould said. "And for us, what really matters is competing at the highest level and winning. And I think our football and basketball metrics do show that the teams that we're going to have in this league compare together as a group are a top five league, and that's where we want to continue to position ourselves."

While other conferences outsource their broadcast needs or rely on third-party networks, the Pac-12 owns its media infrastructure. Pac-12 Enterprises, the production unit originally built to serve the old Pac-12 Network, is still intact. It moved out of its pricey San Francisco office space last year for a more reasonable location in San Ramon, an East Bay Area suburb. The facility has capacity to do several thousand live events a year with the control rooms and the infrastructure in place, and the idea for the facility is to handle more than just Pac-12 events.

Pac-12 Enterprises has produced a Golden State Warriors preseason basketball game, a Professional Fighters League event and several college events that don't involve Pac-12 schools -- most notably the football games carried on The CW. It's still too early to understand how significant the revenue will be from external clients, but it's something that has those at the conference office and on member campuses optimistic.

Ahead of next year's relaunch, Gould described the months ahead as a "startup strategic planning phase."

"It's pretty exciting when you look at the calendar and kind of think, 'Wow, we've got give or take 330 days before we turn the lights on to the new league, which is super fun and super exciting and personally really rewarding work for me," she said.

That includes finalizing the sports it will sponsor, establishing championship formats and determining which affiliate members will participate in Olympic sports.

"We have to make some decisions here in the next 30 to 60 days," Gould said. "You've got to get the word out so people can plan, recruit, budget."

The number of sports the league sponsors could evolve over time, Gould said.

As the league reshapes its identity, Texas State represents its latest move. Gould said the university's investments in facilities, leadership and competitive outlook made it a natural choice.

"They're building something," she said. "They've got the momentum, the vision and they really leaned into what we're trying to do."

She praised the leadership of president Kelly Damphousse and athletic director Don Coryell, and Gould noted that the university's commitment to growth mirrors the league's startup mindset.

"They're aligned with our mission and values," Gould said. "They're not just joining a conference; they're buying into a project."

And more could be on the way. While Gould declined to get into specific targets, she acknowledged the league remains open to adding schools if they match the conference's long-term goals.

"If we sit right where we are, we're good with that," she said. "If there are other growth opportunities, that's great, we'll consider them against our criteria and deal with that on a case-by-case basis and absolutely have a long-term strategy in terms of what that should look like."

THIS FALL MARKS the final season of the Mountain West as it has long been known. With five schools set to depart for the Pac-12 next summer, this year has the potential to feel like the Pac-12's in 2023. A last dance, of sorts.

With that in mind, commissioner Gloria Nevarez said the conference has a responsibility to keep the focus on what matters.

"We serve the student athletes," she said. "We celebrate many of the people in our conference staff were former student athletes, and so there's this sense of, sure you got some bigger issues or drama going on, but when it comes right down to it, we're here to celebrate the champions, the student athletes, and I think that's what we do really well."

With that in mind, Nevarez has high hopes for how the conference will stack up nationally this football season.

After Boise State earned the Group of 5 College Football Playoff berth last season, Nevarez said there is an expectation within the conference that its champion will likely deserve the same opportunity.