Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould spent last weekend watching the conference championships, making mental notes of what she liked and didn’t like, what worked for fans and for TV viewers — all with an eye to December 2026.
Will the rebuilt Pac-12 stage its own title game? The answer likely will come in several months.
The conference office is discussing the issue with the two current members, Washington State and Oregon State, and the five schools moving over from the Mountain West in the summer of 2026.
“The conversations are around what it should look like in the next Pac-12,” Gould said. “It has tremendous value on a lot of levels.”
That doesn’t make the renewal of the Pac-12 championship game inevitable. The issue is complex and, to a certain degree, dependent on external factors.
Some clarity could begin to emerge next month when the College Football Playoff management committee, which includes all the conference commissioners, meets in Atlanta to discuss the inaugural edition of the 12-team event.
There is no codified format for the CFP starting in the fall of 2026. Changes to access — the at-large berths could be reduced or eliminated — might undermine the relevance of the conference championship games.
Another possibility: CFP changes make title games critical for some conferences and unnecessary for others.
“It’s going to be an interesting conversation,” Gould said.
She added that the number of teams in the rebuilt Pac-12 won’t impact the decision. (At least one more football-playing school must be added for 2026 to comply with NCAA rules.)
“Brand elevation is really important in the rebuilt conference,” she said. “We don’t want a football championship game that has a bad atmosphere for athletes and bad optics on television. We want it to look, feel and sound like an exciting environment.”
Discussions with potential host cities are expected to “accelerate,” she said. “Accessibility for tickets, location, airports, hotels — a lot of variables go into it. We want fans to be able to get there.”
The rebuilt conference could stage its championship game on the home field of the higher seed, mirroring the model currently used by the Mountain West. Or the event could be played at a neutral field, as was the case with the Pac-12 championship from 2014-23.
“Our Mountain West members haven’t had an event of the caliber we put on,” Gould said. “The experience for the student athletes is important.”
Ultimately, the same force driving the Pac-12’s next expansion move could frame the merits of a championship game: The outcome of media rights negotiations.
The conference and its media consultant, Octagon, are discussing a long-term partnership with media companies. Gould prefers multiple partners and content on both linear and streaming platforms. Negotiations could last into the spring.
The market will dictate:
— Which school(s) receive membership invitations to join the conference for 2026.
— The degree to which the rebuilt Pac-12 emphasizes basketball.
— The number of conference games on the football schedule and the days of competition. (Expect some games to be played on weekdays.)
— The value of a football championship.
Once the media rights piece takes shape, Gould and campus officials will finalize membership plans and the structure of the football season.
“Those conversations will inform our decisions,” she said.
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