Oregon State’s athletic director Scott Barnes mentioned that the newly restructured Pac-12 plans to add at least two more schools by 2026 as soon as possible.
“I think John Wooden said it, ‘Let’s be quick but don’t hurry,’” Barnes said on Saturday. “Get it right, but it’s in our best interest to move as quickly as we can.”
The Pac-12, which had fallen apart with the exit of 10 of its teams, announced on Thursday that it will have a new look with four teams from the Mountain West joining Oregon State and Washington.
The refreshed Pac-12, which will include Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State, is set to begin in 2026. However, the conference needs at least eight teams to be automatically included in NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff.
When asked if any teams had shown interest in joining within 48 hours after the realignment news, Barnes simply said: “Bunches.”
Barnes spoke before the rivalry game between Oregon State and Oregon, which moved to the Big Ten this season. He mentioned that the league might add more than just the two schools needed to meet the NCAA and CFP requirements.
“It’s a lot like the processes we used to bring these foundational members in, in that the criteria will be very similar. We’ve already started in earnest with our first meeting yesterday to look at the situation. There is great interest in this very early stage,” Barnes said.
“I would love to see this wrapped up as soon as possible,” he added. “But certainly we want to get it right. These are long-term, historic decisions that we’re making, and we’ll take enough time to make sure we’ve got the right new members. But the sooner we can move forward the better.”
