Will the Pac-12 become a ‘power’ conference again? Here’s what football fans think

With the departure of nearly all of its members this summer, the Pac-12 entered a depressing new era.
As the ghost of its former self, it’s no longer considered a Power Five conference. The NCAA’s Division I is now dominated by a Power Four: the Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and ACC.
But the Pac-12 hasn’t given up hope on reclaiming its lost status — and resurrecting the Power Five.
On Thursday, it announced the addition of four Mountain West schools, which will join the conference in July 2026 and bring the school count up to six, as the Deseret News reported.
“An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today,” said Pac-12 Conference commissioner Teresa Gould in a press release.
Adding Colorado State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State is an important step toward keeping the Pac-12 Conference alive.
Washington State and Oregon State — the two schools left in the Pac-12 this August after 10 programs, including Utah, departed — were given two years to welcome at least six more conference members.
If the new Pac-12 can’t get to at least eight schools by the start of the 2026 school year, it will lose its status as an FBS conference.
What’s less certain is whether a successful rebuild will improve the Pac-12′s status with the NCAA and the College Football Playoff.
“The league lost its designation as an autonomous/power conference, a moniker that gave it more voting privileges within NCAA governance and more revenue in the CFP distribution model. It is unclear if the conference could regain such a designation,” Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported.
Dellenger said Thursday that the Pac-12 is unlikely to regain its prior status but that it could potentially make a case for a larger share of playoff revenue.
He also reported that the Pac-12 champion may regain an automatic spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2026.
“In the next two years, the Pac-12 champion is not eligible for an automatic qualifying spot as it does not meet the CFP’s conference-minimum requirement. However, starting in 2026, the champion of a rebuilt Pac-12 would presumably be eligible to receive an automatic bid,” Dellenger wrote.
Even if the Pac-12 regains certain privileges in the college football world, it remains to be seen if college football fans will ever talk of a Power Five again.
A debate about the possible rebirth of the Power Five has already emerged on X, with some claiming that the Pac-12 will never regain the respect it once had.
“Former AAC commish Mike Aresco finally got his wish: the term ‘Group of 5′ will never be used again. It’s now the Group of 6 and the Power 4,” wrote Brett McMurphy of Action Network on X.
Keith Gaddie, a professor at TCU, argued that the new Pac-12 will have nowhere near the financial power of the old one.
“The PAC-12 makes an aggressive survival play. Is it enough to be a Power 5 conference? Consider the media brand value. The old PAC had a brand value of $3 billion, with UW leading the way at $440 million. The cumulative value of all six teams in the new PAC 12 is $434 million,” he wrote on X.
In general, social media users agreed that the debate won’t be settled for a while — since college football fans will love arguing about it.
“Oh man … calling this a power 5 is gonna infuriate people,” said one person on X.
“Group of five all the way,” said another.