The Pac-12 Conference essentially disbanded in 2024 after 10 of its 12 member schools left for other conferences. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington moved to the Big Ten; Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah joined the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford went to the ACC. This left only Oregon State and Washington State as the remaining members, sometimes referred to as the "Pac-2"

. Following this mass exodus, the Pac-12 has been attempting to rebuild. Starting in the 2026 season, five schools from the Mountain West Conference—Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State, and San Diego State—will join the Pac-12. Additionally, Gonzaga will join as a non- football member. This expansion will bring the conference back to eight members, which is the minimum required to be recognized as an NCAA conference

. However, the Pac-12 is no longer an autonomous league, meaning it has less influence in NCAA decisions and receives less money from the College Football Playoff than before. It is uncertain if the conference will regain that status or return to having six automatic qualifying spots for the College Football Playoff, as that number dropped to five after the conference shrank

. The conference's rebuilding efforts face challenges, such as the inability to attract top programs from the American Athletic Conference, which has seen schools like Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, and UTSA recommit to the AAC. The Pac-12 also filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West over poaching penalties related to the realignment

. In summary, the Pac-12 went through a near-collapse in 2024 but is in the process of rebuilding by adding new members from the Mountain West and other conferences. Its future as a power conference remains uncertain, but it is working to regain stability and relevance in the evolving college football landscape