Pac-12 commissioner on expansion: ‘I think we’re at that point’

Following Monday’s announcement that CBS Sports will be the primary home of Pac-12 football and men’s basketball from 2026-31, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould sat down for an exclusive interview with Yogi Roth of the Y-Option Substack. 

The announcement of an eighth football-playing member and additional media partners are expected in the near future. 

“When we went out into the marketplace and talked to potential media rights partners, we were really looking for three different things,” Gould told Roth. “One of them, obviously, is incredible exposure. CBS is a leader in the sports industry and provides incredible reach and an incredible platform for us to show the world what the new Pac-12 is going to be.

“Secondly, we were looking for strong financial support and economics. … And thirdly, we were really looking for a transformational partner. A partner that — as we launch into this new landscape of college athletics — would really support us and collaborate with us to build and launch this new league and really brainstorm about how we build something really special and different for the modern-day student-athlete.”

Financial details of the CBS Sports media deal were not disclosed in Monday’s announcement.

The Pac-12 has eight schools committed for the 2026-27 athletics season: current members Oregon State and Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State of the Mountain West and Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference. 

The Pac-12 must add at least one football-playing member before July 1, 2026 to reach the NCAA’s eight-team minimum to qualify as an FBS conference. Gonzaga does not compete in football. 

Gould told Roth that signing up a ninth member will likely be the next step for the Pac-12. 

“I’ve been saying all along that once we get our media rights to completion, or to near-completion — enough where we have a sense of who our patterns are and what the economics look like — we would then pivot back to our membership strategy. And I think we’re at that point,” Gould said. 

“Now that we have our anchor partner done and announced, we absolutely are in conversations and will continue conversations with prospective members to take the next step — probably not the final step — around future membership.”

According to multiple reports, Texas State of the Sun Belt Conference is expected to be the Pac-12’s ninth member. Additionally, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Kyle Bonagura reported last week that Pac-12 officials have discussed adding Memphis as a football-only member with the Tigers parking their other sports in the Big East. 

Thamel and Bonagura reported that Memphis would be unlikely to make a move until the 2027-28 athletics season.