Pac-12 Football

Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould revealed that there is "significant" interest from additional schools looking to join the league, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

Per Dellenger, Gould doesn't have a set number of teams to potentially add to the Pac-12 other than the eight needed to be recognized as an official FBS conference.

On Thursday, the Pac-12 announced the addition of Mountain West Conference teams such as Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

The four programs will join remaining Pac-12 members Washington State and Oregon State in July 2026, meaning that the conference will need at least two more schools in order to be recognized.

Pete Nakos reported for On3 that the Pac-12 could "turn its attention" to former members of the conference such as Cal and Stanford after the schools previously departed to join the ACC in Sept. 2023.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic also listed Memphis, Tulane and UNLV as schools that could potentially join the new Pac-12.

Gould doesn't appear to be worried about finding programs interested in joining the conference, explaining that the Pac-12's location could be enticing for schools.

"There's a lot of interest in having a high-level conference rooted on the West Coast," she said in July, per Dellenger. "There's a lot of interest in our communities and fan bases. A lot of people care deeply about the Pac-12 and Pac-12 brand. There is a lot of nostalgia about the possibility of a rebuild."

In addition to Cal and Stanford, several other schools still left the conference at the end of the 2023 season. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington went to the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah chose to move to the Big 12.

As the Pac-12 attempts to return, it appears that the conference is continuing to generate interest after officially adding four programs on Thursday.

The Pac-12 could "turn its attention to former members Cal and Stanford" after the conference announced the addition of four Mountain West teams on Thursday, Pete Nakos reported for On3.

"Multiple sources have told On3 it's a logical move for Cal and Stanford to join the Pac-12 if a window opens to leave the ACC," Nakos wrote.

Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports reported that Cal and Stanford could need to file lawsuits to break the ACC's grant of rights, which runs through summer 2036.

Re speculation about two schools the Pac-12 could go after next:

Source confirms to @FOS that all ACC schools have signed onto its Grant of Rights. That includes Stanford and Cal. So if they want to depart, they're going to have to make like FSU and Clemson and go to court.

— Amanda Christovich (@achristovichh) September 12, 2024

Cal and Stanford announced their exit for the ACC last September amid a wave of departures that saw the Pac-12 whittled down to just Washington State and Oregon State.

With Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State set to join the conference before the 2026 season, the Pac-12 is two programs shy of the eight-school FBS minimum.

As Nakos pointed out, rejoining the Pac-12 would make sense for Cal and Stanford given their geographical proximity to teams in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.

Cal football's debut ACC season features road trips to play schools like Florida State, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest on the opposite side of the country.

Stanford, meanwhile, is set for several cross-country road trips of its own with away games at Syracuse, Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina State.

The Raleigh News & Observer's Shelby Swanson reported last month that athletes from 11 ACC schools and 10 sports "commonly expressed concerns about missing classes due to excessive travel" during the upcoming season.

The Pac-12's inability to secure a lucrative media agreement was part of the reason Cal and Stanford joined the exodus from membership last year.

Clemson and Florida State have both sued the ACC for the financial penalties the conference has pledged to charge schools should they exit the conference.

According to Florida State, exiting the ACC before the grant of rights expires in 2036 would cost the school $572 million, per Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press.

Neither Florida State nor Clemson formally stated they wanted to leave the conference by Aug. 15, which was the ACC's deadline for notice of departure the following year.

The lawsuits are currently ongoing in Florida and North Carolina. If considering a move back to the Pac-12, Cal and Stanford could be watching to see how feasible leaving the ACC would be.

The California schools aren't the only programs that have been tied to a potential move to the Pac-12. Nakos additionally named Tulane and Memphis, among others, as possible expansion targets for the rebuilding conference.

The Pac-12 confirmed Thursday that it has reached agreements with Mountain West Conference programs Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State to join the revamped Pac-12.

Good morning! It's a beautiful new day 😎#BackThePac pic.twitter.com/jfIU1Gk22u

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 12, 2024

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports first reported the news, and ESPN's Pete Thamel and Chris Vannini of The Athletic later confirmed that the four MWC schools would join the Pac-12 alongside holdovers Oregon State and Washington State.

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network noted that the aforementioned MWC teams will officially join the Pac-12 in 2026.

While the four Mountain West teams joining the Pac-12 are a solid foundation for a revitalized conference, the Pac-12 still has to add at least two more members to be recognized as an official FBS conference.

The Mountain West Conference is set to receive $111 million in exit fees as a result of the departures, per McMurphy. Each team will have to pay the MWC $17 million, which the Pac-12 is expected to "help offset," plus the Pac-12 will have to pay the Mountain West another $43 million as part of a scheduling agreement between the conferences.

Both USC and UCLA announced in 2022 that they were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, and after the Pac-12 was unable to nail down a suitable television deal, a mass exodus followed.

Last year, Oregon and Washington announced their intention to go to the Big Ten; Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah said they were going to the Big 12; and California and Stanford decided on a move to the ACC.

That left Oregon State and Washington State as the last Pac-12 schools standing, and since there was not enough time to rebuild the conference for the 2024 college football season, they agreed to align with the Mountain West by scheduling six MWC teams each this season.

Last week, ESPN's Kyle Bonagura reported that the Pac-12 and Mountain West failed to agree to a deal to extend their scheduling agreement beyond the 2024 season.

Landing Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State is a major coup for the Pac-12 in terms of inching back closer to Power Five status.

Boise State is the most significant addition since the Broncos have long been among the best teams in college football from outside the power conferences.

They memorably went undefeated and beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006, and they have 18 double-digit-win seasons since 1999.

It is unclear what other schools the Pac-12 could target in order to reach official conference status, but the American Athletic Conference has several programs that could be appealing, including Memphis and Tulane.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders will now be a father-in-law.

Sanders' daughter, Deiondra, and R&B singer Jacquees recently got engaged "over the weekend," per TMZ Sports.

Jacquees proposed during a party with family and friends, reading a four-page letter that he wrote to Deiondra over a microphone before presenting her with a diamond ring.

The couple started dating in 2023, with Deiondra announcing that she was pregnant in an Instagram post on March 8 (h/t TMZ Sports).

It was an eventful weekend for the Buffaloes' head coach, as he participated in the 2024 MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game on Saturday night.

He'll also be looking to help Colorado build upon a 4-8 season in 2023. The Buffaloes should be improved during their 2024 campaign with quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way standout Travis Hunter back in the mix.

Both players could hear their names called in the 2025 NFL draft, with the signal-caller setting a school record with 3,230 passing yards in his first year with the team. As for Hunter, he thrived as a cornerback while also hauling in 57 receptions for 721 yards as a receiver.

Sanders' team will look to improve even further in 2024 while navigating through the Big 12.

There is plenty of debate whether Shedeur Sanders or Travis Hunter is Colorado's best player, but there's little question which of the two stars is better at video game football.

Sanders laid a beatdown on Hunter during their College Football 25 stream on Sunday:

https://twitter.com/zityy__/status/1812532077780144481

The blowout was so bad that Hunter was, at one point, inadvertently throwing his teammates under the bus.

Travis Hunter throwing the Offensive Line under the bus without hesitation is hilarious pic.twitter.com/nRa8gMFEyW

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) July 14, 2024

The stream was part of EA Sports' ongoing rollout for College Football 25, which releases worldwide July 19.

Early #CFB25 Play of The Year Nominee ‼️

🏈 Intended Receiver @TravisHunterJr
🏈 INT @TravisHunterJr
🏈 Game Winner @ShedeurSanders pic.twitter.com/SzAqIg6edK

— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) July 14, 2024

First look at The Shedeur in #CFB25 ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/DShFaOpSnY

— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) July 14, 2024

This is the first college football game since 2013 after EA Sports shut down production of all college sports games following an antitrust lawsuit filed by former UCLA college basketball player Ed O'Bannon. EA Sports resumed production of its college football franchise after the NCAA began allowing players to profit off of their name, image and likeness.

The game is considered one of the most anticipated sports video game releases of all time.

Sanders and Hunter won't be the only college stars taking the virtual field as part of EA Sports' release week. Quinn Ewers will take on Chad Ochocinco later Sunday, and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards went up against MMG on Saturday.

Former college stars Michael Vick and Tim Tebow went head-to-head Saturday as well.

Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter on Saturday previewed gameplay involved in the new EA Sports College Football 2025.

The video game, which will feature Hunter on the cover alongside Texas' Quinn Ewers and Michigan's Donovan Edwards, is set to be released by EA Sports on July 19 for PlayStation and Xbox.

Hunter's preview of the game came three days after EA Sports named him as one of the game's top 100 players.

The two-way star is ranked No. 6 in the game with an overall rating of 95. Only Michigan's Will Johnson, LSU's Will Campbell and OSU's Ollie Gordon II earned a higher rating.

Game. Changers. Here are the Top 10 Players in #CFB25

See our Top 100 🔗: https://t.co/hPGNnX5m2V pic.twitter.com/uyWDm7Pja1

— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) July 10, 2024

Although Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said after the ratings release that he didn't understand how Hunter wasn't ranked No. 1 "when he's arguably the best receiver and the best defensive back in college football" (h/t On3's Dan Morrison), Hunter said Saturday that he was just happy to be featured in the game.

"It's all good, bro," Hunter told his friend on the stream (3:00 mark.) "As long as I'm on the game, bro. I'm on the cover, so that's all that matters."

Hunter's gameplay preview is one of several celebrity streams driving up hype for the long-awaited next edition in EA's college football game catalog, which was last updated in 2013 with NCAA Football 14.

Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. has made his commitment.

The highly-touted wide receiver prospect in the class of 2025 made his collegiate pledge to Deion Sanders and Colorado, On3 Sports' Hayes Fawcett reported Saturday.

BREAKING: Four-Star WR Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. has Committed to Colorado, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’1 175 WR from Spring, TX chose the Buffaloes over Alabama, Nebraska, & Texas A&M

“It’s only the beginning for what’s going to take place here. We coming”… pic.twitter.com/PX1EY4GjGQ

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 13, 2024

Farrakhan, a 4-star prospect according to 247Sports Composite, chose the Buffaloes over Alabama, Nebraska, Texas A&M and a handful of other big programs.

Sanders later reacted to the news in a post on X:

I heard we got a “X” factor !!! Wow “WE COMING BABY” #CoachPrime

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) July 13, 2024

According to 247Sports, the Houston, Texas, native is considered the No. 312 player in the country, the No. 44 wide receiver nationally and the 48th-ranked player in the state of Texas. He adds to what is shaping up to be an impressive 2025 class for Colorado.

The Buffaloes have a pair of 4-star recruits with the addition of Farrakhan, the other being offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden, who committed to Colorado in June. The Buffs also have four 3-star recruits and the chance to continue adding talent throughout the season.

Colorado boasts a talented group for the class of 2024 with the No. 22 overall ranking, according to 247Sports. The incoming freshmen class is highlighted by 5-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton along with some other promising prospects.

With a strong group coming in, Colorado will look to have more success than it did in the first year of the Sanders era. The Buffaloes had a strong 3-0 start to the season in 2023 but mustered a 4-8 finish.

Sanders and Colorado will begin the second year of his tenure in late August against a strong FCS opponent in North Dakota State.

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders says coaches treat him "a little different" when he speaks with potential recruits.

"What I mean by that is, say I go see this kid. What you think those other coaches gonna say to those kids? They treat me different. They come at me different," Sanders told On3's Phillip Dukes. "They gonna say, 'He went to see him, he ain't come to see you. He don't care about you.'

"They come at me different. My playing field ain't as level as everybody else. They treat me a little different, so I've got to be one step ahead of them."

Speaking w/ @DukestheScoop, Deion Sanders explained how opposing coaches treat him 'different' on the recruiting trail👀

"My playing field ain’t as level as everyone else’s. They treat me a little bit different, so I’ve got to be one step ahead of them.”https://t.co/oj6VxRV4C2 pic.twitter.com/Li6Hvott2D

— On3 (@On3sports) July 12, 2024

Sanders is heading into his second year as Colorado's head coach. The Buffaloes' incoming transfer class, which 247Sports ranks No. 8 in the nation, is headlined by five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton.

247Sports gives Colorado's incoming class of 2024 a composite ranking of No. 81 in the nation, however.

Sanders' apparent focus on the transfer portal when building the Buffaloes' roster has previously been the subject of criticism. USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer previously reported that between December 2022 and March 2024, Sanders had made no off-campus recruiting visits to prospects' homes or high schools.

Sanders addressed Schrotenboer's report in March by saying that his approach to recruiting "is totally different than many coaches" and helps save Colorado money.

"For me to go, let's say I go to Florida and I'm visiting IMG, you don't think those coaches are going to be a little upset if I don't come by the school down the street?... Now the coach is mad, and he's not gonna let the kid come because I chose that school over that school," Sanders told reporters in March. "Other coaches, they can do that, but I can't."

Sanders again defended his high school recruiting practices during Big 12 media days this week, arguing that his willingness to give high school recruits playing time is what draws them to Boulder.

"To you all that say we only go into the portal, we signed 17 high school players last year and 13 played," Sanders said Wednesday (h/t On3's Griffin McVeigh.) "So, when we sign a kid out of high school, the expectancy is for him to play. All you kids in high school right now, when we sign you, we want you to play."

Sanders continued: "We played a total of 20 freshmen last year, including seven walk-ons. So if you a freshman and you a walk-on, you can play."

The Buffaloes struggled in the latter half of last season, ending the campaign with six straight losses. Sanders will hope that his new class of incoming transfers and recruits is strong enough to get Colorado to five wins for the first time since 2019.

Shedeur Sanders believes other teams around college football have extra motivation when facing Colorado.

"I know we're everybody's Super Bowl," he told reporters on Wednesday. "So I really just always stay level-headed and grounded because I would never want to be that guy who looks back and wasn't able to take advantage of the moment that we have right now."

Shedeur Sanders: “We know we’re everybody’s Super Bowl” pic.twitter.com/mYpJ5ilPbi

— Karter Baughan (@karterb8) July 10, 2024

Granted, the Super Bowl is generally contested between two teams with winning records, unlike the 4-8 mark Colorado posted last year.

But the arrival of Deion Sanders as head coach brought alongside it big expectations for Colorado, and the school became the cultural epicenter of college football early in the 2023 season, as a number of celebrities flocked to the team's sidelines.

In 2024, the team will be hoping the results are more closely aligned to the hype. Much of that will come down to the play of Sanders, who was the primary bright spot for the Buffs last season and has the makings of a potential top-five prospect in the 2025 NFL draft.