The Pac-12 is no longer a ‘power conference’

In April 2024, the Division I Board of Directors voted to strip the Pac-12 of its autonomous legislative powers and remove the conference’s representation from the board. 

In layman’s terms, the Pac-12 lost its status as a power conference, leaving the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC in charge of FBS football. 

When the House settlement was announced in June, the Pac-12 was included as one of the five autonomy conferences. 

“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come,” the five conference commissioners and NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a joint statement. 

“This settlement is also a road map for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American institution can continue to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students. All of Division I made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our various student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.”

In the wake of the House settlement, some fans believed that the Pac-12 had regained its status as an autonomous conference. 

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports attempted to clear up some of the confusion on Thursday. 

“The league is included in House-related matters with the four power conferences — as it was with (College Sports Commission) guidance — because it was a named defendant in the House lawsuit when filed in 2020,” Dellenger wrote on X. “However, as for the NCAA and (College Football Playoff), the Pac-12 is not a ‘power conference.’”

Dellenger also noted that the term “power conference” holds no actual authority. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are the four conferences with historic ties to the New Year’s Six bowl games. 

“Today, the delineation here is the NCAA’s autonomous legislative powers and CFP revenue distribution/weighted voting,” Dellenger wrote. The power four conferences receive more money from the CFP than Group of 5 schools. 

In summary, the reborn Pac-12 of current members Oregon State and Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State of the Mountain West, Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference and Texas State of the Sun Belt will not be a power conference in 2026.

What the Pac-12 will have is access to the CFP. The five highest-rated conference champions in the final CFP rankings receive automatic bids to the playoff.