Mountain West Waiting For ACC Move About Cal, Stanford, Others
Patience is the key for adding teams
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Gloria Nevarez
The Mountain West is just waiting in the weeds for when the remaining Pac-12 schools will be available to add to the conference.
The latest is that the ACC is not likely to add Cal or Stanford, it reportedly came up one vote short, per Sports Illustrated.
The schools that reportedly said no were Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina, and North Carolina State.
Sources: The Stanford/Cal ACC realignment bid has stalled one vote short. If that doesn't change, what are the options for the Bay Area schools? With @RJ_cfb https://t.co/Y28a8KByZT
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 11, 2023
Cal and Stanford to the Mountain West always seemed unlikely with Oregon State and Washington State a better fit. With the ACC lifeline not going anywhere, the Golden Bears and Cardinal might now be a realistic option for the Mountain West.
There is still a lot to figure out, including the AAC wanting all four remaining Pac-12 schools.
Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez is being cautious and taking her time.
“A lot still needs to be researched and decided by folks outside of the Mountain West, but until then, we feel really good about where we are and who we are,” Nevarez said Thursday via The Athletic. “We have a really strong brand, and we’re ready for anything.”
This is a great stance to take because things are changing a lot and the Mountain West doesn’t necessarily have to do anything, but adding any of those four would boost the league.
The conference is also open to members who don’t participate in all sports.
“We certainly have precedent for that because Hawaii is an affiliate football-only member currently,” Nevarez said. “We’re open to everything. Nothing is being shut down at this point.”
Being open to everything, including teams that don’t participate in all sports is just good business.
Time will tell if any of this happens since realignment is changing by the second.
