What defines a power conference?
It’s a question Pac-12 athletic directors and Pac-12 representatives are trying to figure out.
Three years ago, the Pac-12 and Washington State were considered ‘Power Five’: a term given to the five prominent conferences in the country. With the power status came voting power within the NCAA, easier access to media deals, nationwide exposure and attraction from top athletes.
Then, conference realignment happened.
When the Pac-12 began to crumble with only OSU and WSU emerging from the rubble, the ‘power’ status was yanked from the Pac-12.
“It was basically a vote that took the Pac-12 out of the legislative part of the structure of the NCAA,” said WSU athletic director Anne McCoy.
Even though the conference is now complete (for the time-being) with nine competitive members, the power status hasn’t been returned.
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With eight full-time members to compete in Division I FBS, the lack of a power status also means the new Pac-12 doesn’t get an automatic bid into the College Football Playoffs.
While it was easy for the Pac-12 to be voted out of the legislative part of the NCAA, McCoy says there’s no easy way to reclaim the status.
“There’s no benchmark… nothing to reach where you are all the sudden considered.”
The nine new members for the Pac-12 beginning in 2026 do collectively compare to the Power Four (SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC).
For the last four seasons in football, the new Pac-12’s collective win percentage is 54.7%, which higher than the ACC (53.4%). As far as CFP Top 25 rankings, the new Pac-12 has had 5 of their 8 teams ranked (63%). That statistic beats the ACC again with 10 of their 17 teams ranked over the last four seasons (59%).
For men’s basketball – the Pac beats the ACC for the fifth spot in average net ranking (85), which is the most important metric for determining March Madness selections.
“No doubt (that) when you look at the strength both of competitive success and the institutions that the Pac-12 is in the top five for conferences,” McCoy said.
But despite the fact the Pac-12 can measure up to some of the best schools across the country, it’s not enough for the perception from the public, the media, the NCAA or the Power Four conferences to earn back the status.
The Pac-12 is still finding ways to stay competitive with raising money and providing new NIL opportunities for student athletes in the wake of the NCAA house settlement ruling.
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McCoy was asked about the possibility of putting sponsor logos on jerseys to help raise more revenue as a school or as a conference. She said that idea isn’t off the table.
“I don’t think you should leave any stone unturned. Now to say that we would or we wouldn’t do that: I don’t know. I think we have to consider it. I think we have to consider everything or we’re doing ourselves a disservice.”
McCoy said as far as she’s aware, there is no immediate push to add another member to the Pac-12 as it meets the requirements to compete in all sports.
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