Gonzaga Joins The Pac-12: How The Move Changes The Realignment Dynamics For The Conference

The Pac-12 lost the narrative last week after its attempt to add Memphis, South Florida and Tulane from the American Athletic Conference was rebuffed in extremely public fashion. The optics turned for the worse two days later, when UNLV decided to remain in the Mountain West — a move that looked bad at the time and appears even worse now. But the news Tuesday of Gonzaga’s looming arrival — the Zags will begin competition in 2026-27 — dramatically changes the perception of the reconstituted Pac-12. During an era in which conference strength is based on the value of its brands, the Pac-12 landed the biggest basketball brand available during its current expansion phase. Our thoughts on the news: — The Zags instantly make the conference more attractive to potential media partners and to other schools — those that play both football and basketball, and those that don’t. With Gonzaga and San Diego State, which reached the NCAA championship two seasons ago, the Pac-12 has tentpole basketball programs that could, according to an industry source, lead to scheduling partnerships with the Big 12 or ACC. Also possible, the source said: An arrangement with Connecticut to become a football-playing member that schedules basketball games for its powerhouse teams each year in Pac-12 arenas. — This isn’t the first time Gonzaga has appeared on the Pac-12’s expansion radar. In the summer of 2022, after USC and UCLA announced they were joining the Big Ten, the Pac-12’s strategic advisers suggested the conference immediately add Gonzaga and San Diego State, according to a source. In tandem, the moves would create stability, help offset the loss of UCLA’s basketball program and provide a continued presence in the greater Southern California region. The conference would then take its reformed structure to the market to identify the framework for a media rights deal, then dangle that deal in front of a select number of Big 12 schools. But the conference’s presidents and athletic directors rejected the idea for a variety of reasons, the source said. — The financial details of Gonzaga’s move into the Pac-12 have not been disclosed, but we’re curious about the revenue share headed to Spokane. In the media rights world, football typically accounts for 80 cents of every dollar spent by the networks on programming. As an example, let’s assume the reconstituted Pac-12 could sign a media rights deal that spins off $10 million per campus annually.