Pac-12 to lose Power Five status if Kliavkoff fails to get 8 members before 2024 CFB season 

The Pac-12 is a conference with many woes. The powerful Conference of Champions has been reduced to only four members in a torrent of realignment. Needless to say, it is fighting for its survival.

The most prevalent prognosis about the conference's fate is foreboding, and understandably so. Despite the difficult situation, there are potential ways for the conference to improve its position.

The leadership of the conference has often found itself facing two possibilities. One is to recoup its lost membership strength. In other words, it has to embark on an expansion agenda to return it to its former membership strength, 12. Or at the very least, get enough members to meet the NCAA benchmark, eight.

Whether the goal is to return to its former strength or just get enough to compete as a conference, it needs to attract schools. About a couple of months ago, adding schools could have been easier. In fact, San Diego State looked set to switch from the Mountain West.

However, that window of opportunity has since closed. The conference had hopes of a juicy media deal coming. It had 10 members that were going to stay beyond 2024. But a lot has changed since then. The media deal did not keep the conference stabilized as hoped. Consequently, six more schools joined USC and UCLA on their way out.

Who will the Pac-12 join in a merger?

In reality, it will be an uphill task for the league to start recruiting members. Yet, a more feasible option emerges – a potential merger with another conference that would enable the Pac-12 to maintain its Power 5 status. Two conferences stand as viable candidates for this alternative: the Mountain West and the American Athletic Conference.

The AAC has been reportedly keen on adding the four remaining Pac-12 schools. A merger between them will bring the schools. It will also deliver the Power 5 privileges of the Pac-12. At least, this arrangement guarantees a springboard from which the Conference of Champions can relaunch into prominence.

The Mountain West offers similar advantages. The Pac-12 had ambitions of adding some of its schools including San Diego State.

What's important now is that the leadership of the Pac-12 become proactive and decisive. Past leadership shortcomings contributed to the initial decline. It's essential to recognize that the remaining schools are not passively waiting and they need to act fast.