The Mountain West adding North Dakota State as a football-only member starting this season, again highlights that it only makes sense for the Pac 12 and Mountain West to combine into one conference. There is a little hostility between the two conferences currently, as Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State left the Mountain West for the Pac 12.
However, for football purposes specifically it makes no sense that two conferences with similar regional geography for a majority of the teams why wouldn't they combine? As we know currently the top non-Power Four Conference team gets an automatic bid into the 12-team playoff field.
Currently, conferences such as the American and the Sun Belt are considered superior conferences to the Mountain West and Pac-12 Conferences based on the current teams in both. There is a reason why both the American and Sun Belt conferences were represented in the 2025 college football playoff. However, if you were to combine the Mountain West and the Pac-12 immediately, they argue for becoming the Top Group of Five Conference.
This would allow us to get great matchups back that will be lost, such as Boise State vs UNLV, but also would give the conference champion the best chance of making the college football playoff over the likes of the American or Sun Belt Conference Champion.
Some will say that 18 teams would be too many for football, but if the ACC can have 17 teams and the Big 10 can have 18, then why couldn't 18 work if these two conferences put pride aside and joined up? Financially, it would make sense for these conferences to combine as the TV deal becomes far more lucrative than what both conferences can get now. The weekly matchups would be that much better, and for the most part, the geography of the teams that would be part of this super conference makes sense.
The Mountain West has a history of great football and has been near Power Conference status, and this would allow them to get back near where they were when they had the likes of current Power Four teams such as Utah, TCU, and BYU. The Pac 12 has been reeling since the Big Ten gutted them, and this would allow them long-term stability.