College football insider addresses future of Pac-12, possibility of conference expansion

With Oklahoma and Texas set to join the SEC by 2025 at the latest, it begs the question of what the remaining Power 5 conferences will do to keep a competitive balance. The Pac-12 is no stranger to conference expansion after adding Colorado and Utah in 2011, and many believe it could once again attempt to add some schools.

Pac-12 insider Jon Wilner joined the Paul Finebaum Show on Monday to offer his take on the situation. He said that though conference expansion isn’t out of the realm of possibility, it also has a slim chance of happening.

“We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen over the next 12 months when they re-negotiate their TV deals,” Wilner said. “If the TV networks say, ‘Hey, we’ll give you 2x if you add two or four more schools,’ then the Pac-12 will start looking at some of those Big 12 schools. But I don’t think that’s likely. I think we’re gonna see the Pac-12 stay where it is for the next six, eight, maybe 10 years.”

Wilner also provided some context on the history of conference expansion in the Pac-12. A decade before the Sooners and Longhorns accepted an invitation to join the SEC, the Pac-12 was in pursuit of the two programs to create a 14-team league. The Longhorns declined, however, and conference leaders were not too keen on other options.

“If you remember when Larry Scott tried to form the super conference with Texas involved and eventually the Longhorns said no, the next year in I think the fall of 2011 the Pac-12 considered adding Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to become a 14-team league,” Wilner said. “The university presidents basically said, ‘Nah, we’re not interested’ and a bunch of academic, admissions bar and they’re not worthy kind of stuff that didn’t exist when they were thinking about getting Texas money. But all of a sudden, the academics mattered a little bit more when it was just Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Once they passed on that, I think the ship basically sailed for them to add either Texas or Oklahoma. So now they’re stuck. I don’t think there are any schools west of Norman that can really add the TV value and also the competitive value that would make it worthwhile for the current 12 members to agree to expand.”

The best candidates for conference expansion in the Pac-12 would likely be the remaining Big 12 programs after Oklahoma and Texas. However, considering the league already turned down that option once, it would make sense if it decided to stay at 12 teams for the time being.