LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After 108 years of existence, the Pac-12 conference is now on life support after eight schools decided to pack their bags and move to another conference.
Since the Pac-12 is geographically on the west coast, the Mountain West Conference and UNLV could be affected by the changes, possibly in a big way.
Last year, USC and UCLA, the Pac-12's biggest money makers, decided to join the Big Ten conference starting the 2024 school year.
Within these past weeks, Oregon and Washington, two more big brands, also decided to move to the Big Ten next year.
Meanwhile, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado are heading east to the Big 12 Conference next year.
That leaves Stanford, Cal Berkeley, Washington State, and Oregon State desperate for a long-term home.
The reason for the conference realignment comes down to one thing: money.
The more popular the teams and matchups in a conference, the more revenue and exposure for the universities.
Which begs the question: how does this affect UNLV and the Mountain West?
The Mountain West released a statement Wednesday saying in part that they are open to expansion, which could open the door for the remaining Pac-12 schools.
A few weeks ago, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said the conference is in a good spot and is always open to expanding.
"We always want to be on the front foot in evaluating the environment," Nevarez said. "People always ask about candidates or what type of schools we're looking for. It changes every year based on who's available, the strength of who's available. It's a constant evaluation."
That said, ESPN reported Cal Berkley and Stanford have been in talks to join the ACC, one of the Power Five conferences that earn more revenue than the Mountain West.
There's also the possibility of the Pac-12 and the MWC merging.
Last week at preseason camp, UNLV head coach Barry Odom was asked about the conference realignment.
To put it simply, he says he's only focused on football.
"I have zero control over it," Odom said. "The team doesn't have any control over it. I want to get us as good as we can to win and compete for a championship right where we are."
Before last week's mass Pac-12 exodus, there were talks of UNLV possibly joining the Pac-12.
That move however would have cost the school 34 million dollars. With the Pac-12 in complete limbo, It's safe to say UNLV is staying put for now.
That said, the realignment situation is fluid and changes quickly, so anything can happen. One thing we know for sure is college football will never be the same.
