Oregon State AD says Pac-12 will look to add schools quickly

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said the newly rebuilt Pac-12 will look to add at least two more schools for 2026 as quickly 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 Conference of Champions, which collapsed with the departure of 10 of its teams, announced on Thursday a new incarnation with four teams from the Mountain West joining Oregon State and Washington State.

FILE - Butch, the Washington State mascot leads cheerleaders and players onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Washington, Nov. 25, 2016, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

The revived Pac-12, with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State, will launch in 2026. But the league needs to have at least eight teams to qualify for automatic inclusion into NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff.

Asked if the conference had seen any teams express interest in joining in the 48 hours after the realignment announcement, Barnes stated simply: "Bunches."

Barnes spoke before the rivalry game between Oregon State and former conference foe Oregon, which jumped to the Big Ten this season. He said the league could potentially add more than just the two schools needed to reach the NCAA and CFP thresholds.

"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 landscape. 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."

With just two active schools, the Pac-12 is taking advantage of NCAA rules that allow for a two-year grace period. Currently, the Beavers and the Cougars have a football scheduling agreement in place for this season with the Mountain West, giving them six opponents each from the league to fill out their schedule. The agreement does not extend beyond this season.

Part of that deal included millions of dollars in additional fees for the Pac-12 if it poached Mountain West schools. All told, the Mountain West conference could reap $110 million because of the shakeup.