Memphis, Tulane and South Florida are planning to announce their continued commitment to the American Athletic Conference, rejecting serious interest from the Pac-12, sources told Yahoo Sports on Monday. UTSA, which the Pac-12 is also courting, will also announce its commitment to the American Athletic Conference.
After days of deliberations with the Pac-12, the schools — as a group — decided to stay in their current conference, as AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti explores ways to boost revenue, including private equity participation, new distribution models and further expansion of the league.
The four AAC programs on Monday received proposed terms from the Pac-12 that included projected annual revenue figures ($10-15 million), a five-year rights grant and only partial coverage of the AAC exit fee, believed to be about $25 million per school. None of this was expected, Yahoo Sports reported on Friday..
The Pac-12 plans to continue its push to add new programs to its roster with Oregon State and Washington State looking to reach eight members. The schools added Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State last week.
A handful of potential expansion members, including UNLV and Utah State, have already seen the league’s expansion bid.
And another one too Air Force, Committed to Staying in Mountain West Conference After discussions with the Pac-12.
MWC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez is trying to secure long-term commitments to the league from member schools. The league set a Monday deadline for schools to agree to the new rights grant.
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