In today’s age of college football, everything is in a constant state of flux between NIL, the transfer portal, and conference realignment.
Usually, the conference realignment conversation has to do with the Power Four, but the expansion of the Pac-12 and its hopes to solidify as the top Group of Five conference for the College Football Playoff slot has been a dominant offseason story.
The Tulane Green Wave were one of the American Conference schools the Pac-12 extended an initial offer to last September, as were the Memphis Tigers.
They committed to the AAC in a joint statement with the UTSA Roadrunners and South Florida Bulls.
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That doesn’t mean too much in college football, but there were plenty of valid reasons to turn down the invite.
The travel expenses and time spent traversing across the West Coast were unpalatable in tandem with insufficient coverage of exit fees, which made the decision easier, but it wasn’t one made without sincere consideration of a new-look Pac-12.
For now, it appears those talks have cooled. Insider John Canzano has consistently reported on the situation in his weekly mailbag (subscription required), and his latest updates have focused on the Texas State Bobcats, UNLV Rebels, and the Tigers.
Canzano’s reports have connected the Green Wave, but Memphis appears to be the prime draw due to their success in both basketball and football.
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The Pac-12 seems to have narrowed their approach to one or two candidates, with the Rebels looking less likely.
That leaves the Bobcats and Tigers, but Canzano believes that the geography favors Texas State.
“There has been some apprehension from corners of the new-look Pac-12 about adding the Tigers. Memphis would add travel costs, and there’s some reluctance, I’m told, to drag athletes in non-revenue sports across multiple time zones,” Canzano wrote.
The belief is that the Pac-12 wants to add one all-sports addition and perhaps one or two that are football-only.
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The reporting suggests that Memphis could be considered an all-around option, which would make them a less likely addition.
Even for the revenue-generating sports, the travel to California, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, and other West Coast states is a tough draw.
Schools like the USC Trojans have experienced firsthand the importance of geographical proximity in winning games, and they have learned that putting student-athletes on long flights is not the optimal approach.
This all ends up likely being good news for Tulane, though Canzano did add that the Roadrunners would be a good travel partner for Texas State.
The AAC could likely stand to lose UTSA, which is a competitive program but hasn’t made any waves in a title game since joining in 2023.
The conference and the Green Wave likely couldn’t afford to lose the Tigers if they hope to make a run for the CFB slot, as the Pac-12 would solidify as the conference to beat.
Memphis hasn’t won the AAC title since 2019 against the Cincinnati Bearcats, but they actually entered the CFB rankings after beating Tulane in the final regular season game.
They bring competition in both football and basketball that would be a crucial loss for Tulane, and it appears the best bet for all is to stand pat and look for better realignment offers in the future.
For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.
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