The conference realignment dominoes continue to fall.
UTEP informed Conference USA on Tuesday morning that it is leaving for the Mountain West, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. The MWC and UTEP have been in intense negotiations for several days.
Separately, Gonzaga is expected to soon reach an agreement to join the Pac-12, sources tell Yahoo Sports. The Bulldogs would be the revamped Pac-12’s eighth member, but the school doesn’t have football so it wouldn’t count as a full-time member. The conference still needs to add at least one more full member to reach the minimum threshold.
Gonzaga brings a storied basketball program to the Pac-12. The Bulldogs have made the NCAA tournament for the last 25 consecutive years and advanced to at least the Sweet 16 the last nine tournaments. They’ll join San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, Fresno State, Boise State, Washington State and Oregon State in the new Pac-12.
The Mountain West has also held deep and serious discussions with FCS Tarleton State, sources tell Yahoo Sports. The MWC needs one more full member to qualify as a conference. Negotiations between the Texas-based FCS school and the conference have progressed.
Source Agencies
