Just last week, SMU effectively secured a place in the ACC, dealing another substantial blow to the American Athletic Conference.  As I’ve mentioned before, conference realignment remains an ongoing process, and Memphis may encounter unforeseen opportunities. One such possibility is the potential rebuilding of the PAC by the remaining Pac schools, Oregon State and Washington State, in collaboration with Mountain West and American teams. Conversely, the grander visions, like a Big East invite, may ultimately dissipate.

Rebuilding the Pac

In addition to SMU’s ACC move, two out of the remaining four Pac schools, Cal and Stanford, have also chosen to join the conference. This has led to assumptions that Oregon State and Washington State might consider joining the Mountain West. Nevertheless, recent reports suggest that there might be one final effort to rebuild the Pac-12.

This strategy would involve incorporating the top programs from both the Mountain West and the American. As of right now the only two reported schools being pursed from American are Memphis and Tulane.

Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State are the Mountain West teams currently on their shortlist for recruitment.

In my opinion, although this conference may not achieve Power 5 status, it would undoubtedly elevate the level of competition for Memphis. Moreover, it’s probable that this conference would generate slightly higher TV revenue compared to the current American Athletic Conference.

Big East

Reports are circulating that the Big East is actively exploring the possibility of expanding its current roster of teams. Unfortunately, Memphis is not included in the list as they are primarily in talks with only non football schools.

The Big East is actively pursuing schools such as: Dayton, VCU, St. Louis, and Wichita State

American Athletic

Following SMU’s departure, the American Athletic Conference faces the task of filling the void. Initial discussions suggest that Army is a top candidate, mainly due to the potential acquisition of the rights to the Army/Navy game.