New Pac-12 schools sign membership agreements, indicating media deal could come soon

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Cole Forsman | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 6:32 PM ET

In just over a year from now, Gonzaga will be a member of a new conference.

All eight members of the Pac-12 have signed their Grant of Rights and membership agreements, cementing July 1, 2026 as the official date in which Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State join Oregon State and Washington State to form a new version of a once 100-year-old conference that was nearly wiped out from realignment chaos.

According to Ross Dellenger, the Pac-12 is now expected to finalize a new media rights package in the coming days. The conference has a temporary deal to broadcast Oregon State and Washington State football games on CBS, The CW and ESPN during the 2025 season, with contests against Mountain West teams streaming on TNT Sports or Fox.

There's also ongoing mediation over the poaching fees associated with the five schools leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12. The Mountain West claims it's owed about $145 million between the poaching fees from the Pac-12 ($55 million) and departing fees from the schools (about $90 million). Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State have notified the Mountain West that they are indeed leaving the conference.

All eight members of the new Pac-12 have signed their Grant of Rights and membership agreements, a conference spokesperson tells @YahooSports.

It is a signal that the league is finalizing a new media rights package that is expected in the coming days.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 9, 2025

Not much intel has come out of the courtroom lately, though that silence could be a sign that serious progress is being made between the two parties. San Diego State and Fresno State haven't joined the suit, likely because San Jose State is in the Mountain West and part of the California State University system. But Fresno State and San Diego State would likely benefit from the same deal the other three schools arranged in any negotiated settlement.

The Pac-12 will eventually look deeper into adding an eighth football-playing school to hopefully regain power conference status. Texas State and Memphis are among the reported candidates, though nothing regarding conference expansion has materialized lately.