FRESNO, Calif. — It's no secret the Pac-12 is looking at San Diego State as a potential addition to the conference, but the are not the only Mountain West school being pursued by a Power-5 program.
Recent comments by Fresno State president Saul Jimenez-Sandoval appear to confirm that the Big 12 has shown interest in adding the Bulldogs, which lines up with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's longstanding goal to add a school from the pacific time zone.
Locked on Big 12 host Josh Neighbors believes the interest from both parties is real, but once again thinks the priority remains poaching current Pac-12 institutions first.
"I don't see any immediate movement on this," Neighbors said. "They are not in a position, at this moment in time, where everything is up to snuff."
Jimenez-Sandoval was speaking during a discussion about 'Measure E' a proposed sales tax that would help athletic and academic projects at Fresno State - with the hope of completing a $160 million renovation on the football stadium and a $47 million upgrade to the Duncan Athletic Center.
So an invitation from the Big 12 probably doesn't get extended to Fresno State unless they do secure funding for facility upgrades, and Yormark is unable to grab current Pac-12 members like Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah.
At that point, Yormark's desire to add a west coast team could push the Big 12 to add Fresno State - one of the few FBS programs in California - or they could extend an invite to Gonzaga as a basketball-only member.
Conference realignment will remain a key talking point as we get into the summer months, but any real movement is likely frozen until the Pac-12 reveals their media deal which has yet to happen.