Pac-12 plans rebuild for Boise St., Fresno St., San Diego St. and Colorado St., AP sources say

The Pac-12 is ready to begin its rebuild.

The Conference of Champions has Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State from the Mountain West in its sights. The universities are expected to be admitted as members this week, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Wednesday evening.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference's plans and talks with potential new members have not been made public. They said if an agreement is reached, the new schools would join in 2026.

Yahoo! Sports first reported that the four Mountain West schools were applying for Pac-12 membership.

The Pac-12 is currently a two-school conference; Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining members after the league was torn apart by other major conferences last year.

NCAA rules allow a conference to operate with just two schools for two years. Teresa Gould was hired as Pac-12 commissioner earlier this year and now heads a slimmed-down league office.

Oregon and Washington state officials have insisted since the Pac-12 collapsed last year that their priority is rebuilding.

The effort is expected to begin about a week after Oregon State and Washington State failed to extend an existing football schedule agreement with the Mountain West for this season through 2025.

In a recent interview with AP, Washington State President Kirk Schulz hinted at what might be next for the Cougars and Beavers.

“My philosophy in all of this has always been: Let's look for the best long-term solution for WSU. Let's look at where our budget is and how much we can sustainably spend on college sports. And can we put ourselves in a position where we can win championships, conference championships, where we're maybe in the top half of the league, rather than near the bottom of the league in terms of resources,” he told AP.

Oregon State and Washington State also have a two-year agreement with the West Coast Conference as associate members, covering men's and women's basketball and other Olympic sports.

Mountain West exit fees decrease the further a school drops, so it makes financial sense for the Pac-12 to wait until 2026 to admit the new schools. Still, the conference must pay the Mountain West nearly $30 million in exit fees and penalties for each school that was included in the schedule.

Oregon State and Washington State have tens of millions of dollars in revenue from the two remaining years of the current College Football Playoff agreements and a contract with the Rose Bowl that also expires after the 2025 football season. They also have revenue generated by Pac-12 teams in recent years from the NCAA men's basketball tournament and the assets of the Pac-12 Network.

If the four schools leave the Mountain West, the conference would have eight members left – Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, Utah State, New Mexico, Wyoming, San Jose State and Hawaii.

MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement late Wednesday night that the conference was aware of the media reports and its board was meeting to discuss next steps.

“All members must comply with the conference's bylaws and policies if they decide to withdraw,” she said. “The appointment requirements apply to the Pac-12 when they accept members from the Mountain West.”

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AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Pullman, Washington, contributed to this report.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo on https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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