Five schools to watch for Pac-12, Mountain West expansion

Less than 14 days ago, the Pac-12 took four pillar schools away from the Mountain West.

The move announced the Pac-12 was back, nearly a year after Oregon State and Washington State were left to wither. the Pac-12 was back. Turns out the Mountain West is not going down without a fight.

According to multiple reports, Air Force is sticking with the Mountain West for a signing bonus of at least $10 million. UNLV and San Jose State have also committed to sticking with the league. Earlier Monday, Memphis, Tulane, USF and UTSA announced they were staying with the American Athletic Conference.

Utah State is expected to accept an invitation to the Pac-12, which was extended Monday night.

When the Pac-12 added Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Colorado State, it was only Phase One of expansion. Now the conference is seeing its expansion targets stay with their current conferences. The Pac-12 will have to reassess its next steps while the Mountain West does not plan to slow down.

As of Monday night, the Pac-12 and Mountain West have seven schools. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State are not set to join the Pac-12 until 2026. For the Pac-12 to be recognized as an FBS conference by the NCAA, it needs to add two more football-playing institutions.

Here are five schools to watch that the Pac-12 and Mountain West could target:

North Dakota State: Viewed by many as the top FCS football program in the country, North Dakota State has won nine FCS championships since 2011. The Bison have gained national notoriety, too. NDSU has routinely knocked off FBS schools, including No. 13 Iowa in 2016. After knocking off the Hawkeyes, the Bison received 74 votes in the AP Poll, barely missing out on a top 25 ranking. NDSU nearly knocked off Colorado earlier this season. With solid attendance, College GameDay has even made the trip to Fargo twice. In the regional footprint for both conferences, NDSU would be able to compete for a conference title immediately.

South Dakota State: South Dakota State is coming off back-to-back FCS national titles. One of North Dakota State’s archrivals, adding the Jackrabbits would make sense to keep tradition. South Dakota State can draw crowds, too, with a 2023 regular-season attendance of 18,208, according to Hero Sports. Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was built in 2014. The Jackrabbits are 103-31 in the last decade.

Montana: Montana ranked No. 2 in average attendance in 2023 according to Hero, bringing in 26,269 per game. The Grizzlies have made the FCS playoffs four consecutive seasons, including an appearance in the 2023 national title game against South Dakota State. The 2012 season is the Montana Grizzlies’ only losing season in the past 37 years.

Montana State: College GameDay made the trip in 2022 to Bozeman for the Brawl of the Wild rivalry game. The game has been played 122 times. Montana officially leads the all-time series 74–42–5. Montana State ranked No. 3 in the FCS in attendance last season per Hero, with an average of 21,610 fans. The rivals could be travel partners, compete quickly for conference titles and keep their rivalry intact. The Bobcats have made multiple semifinal appearances in the FCS playoffs in recent years.

Idaho: A source told On3 that Idaho will not want to stay in the Big Sky Conference if the Group of Five raids schools like the four listed above. The Vandals were in the FBS from 1996 to 2017 before voluntarily moving to the FCS in 2018. Idaho has found success in football since making the move back, going to the past FCS playoffs. Head coach Jason Eck’s team is currently 3-1 with a win at Wyoming and a close loss at Oregon. Idaho also boasts one of the only indoor college football stadiums in the nation — the Kibbie Dome.