The Pac-12 is on life support. Former commissioner Larry Scott and current commissioner George Kliavkoff's inability to secure a long-term, lucrative television deal along with the shifting college football landscape has led to a mass exodus within the conference that risks its complete extinction.

The status of the Pac-12 began to shake once USC and UCLA agreed to join the Big Ten. But that was only two teams. With a secure television deal, the Pac-12 could have done enough damage control to salvage the situation. They didn't.

Once Colorado bolted for the Big 12 Conference, the tectonic plates started shifting even more severely. Arizona will soon follow Colorado to the Big 12. And then, the biggest domino to drop yet happened. The Big Ten reached an agreement with Oregon and Washington for them to join their conference along with USC and UCLA. The Big 12 has also engaged in conversations with Arizona State and Utah about potentially joining the conference as well.

To summarize: The Pac-12 is in trouble. The league appears more likely to dissolve than bounce back. Granted, the Big 12 was in trouble when Texas and Oklahoma bolted for the SEC but rebounded strongly by adding schools like Houston, UCF, BYU and Cincinnati.

If the Pac-12 wants to survive, they have to poach schools like the Big 12 to join the conference. There are six teams in mind that would make sense as targets.

San Diego State, Boise State and UNLV

Before putting the cart before the horse, a merger between the remaining Pac-12 schools and the Mountain West would make more sense than the Pac-12 simply playing poacher. One big reason is ESPN's Pete Thamel's reporting that Mountain West schools would have to pay a $32 million exit fee to leave the conference before the start of the 2025 season.

Considering the money and the fact the Pac-12 may not even exist by 2024, that doesn't seem like great business for either of these schools. The biggest possible win for the Pac-12 left would probably be to merge with the Mountain West, maintaining the Pac-12 name and brand. It's been tarnished recently, but is still more recognizable than the Mountain West.

Assuming the Pac-12 is not interested in a merger and wants to survive on its own volition, finding a way to poach San Diego State, Boise State and UNLV would make a great deal of sense.

San Diego State would bring back a Pac-12 footprint in Southern California. San Diego State won't be able to fill the shoes of USC and UCLA in football, but they just might in basketball at the very least. Boise State has been as consistent a football program as any over the last three decades; they have one season with a win percentage below 60% since 1999. UNLV hasn't had much success in any sport but they bring the Las Vegas market and a new state that could bring more money in a television deal.

North Dakota State and South Dakota State

If the Pac-12 wants to survive, they have to dig deep. North Dakota State and South Dakota State would be solid options.

These two have an immense rivalry and a ton of pedigree. The North Dakota State Bison have won nine FCS Division I football national championships. South Dakota State finally won their first FCS Division I national championship in 2022, but they've come close plenty of times. College GameDay appeared for a North Dakota State – South Dakota State game, showing there is a national interest in this rivalry. Putting it on a bigger stage would be a win for college football.

SMU

The Pac-12 needs to expand into more states to get a bigger television deal. Expanding into the Las Vegas market and getting back to Southern California is one way. The Dallas market is another.

SMU has been motivated to get into the Pac-12 for a few months now. That was before the conference has just about dissolved, but SMU could help the Pac-12 stabilize in the meantime.