Pac-12 Football: Top 5 expansion candidates for the conference

When Pac-12 football expanded in 2011, it nearly became the Pac-16. Who might the league target to get to that magic number if realignment continued?

Back during the last round of realignment, the Pac-10 became the Pac-12. Colorado came over from the Big 12, while Utah left behind the Mountain West. For the Utes, the transition was a long-sought move up from the mid-major ranks. For the Buffaloes, it was a move to find a solid future at a point when the future of the Big 12 looked precarious.

The Pacific conference, however, nearly pulled off an even bigger coup. Looking to make a massive splash in the conference shuffle, the Pac-12 looked to grow even further. With the Big 12 hemorrhaging Nebraska, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Colorado in recent years, the league looked on the ropes.

So they went courting the white whale of college football. As one of the highest-earning athletic departments in the entire country, Texas has seemingly endless resources. With so many of its schools now recruiting the state, the Pac-12 has seemed especially interested in landing at least one member from the Lone Star State.

That time, Texas and Oklahoma would have come over in a package deal. Texas A&M, still in the Big 12 at the time, would have joined the two powerhouses in the shift. So too would Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Instead, the Big 12 absorbed TCU and West Virginia and remained viable for the moment. But another round of expansion and chair-shuffling could give the Pac-12 another shot at becoming the Pac-16. Who might they target this time to get to that magic number?