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Sources: UTEP leaving C-USA for MWC, Gonzaga leaving WCC for Pac-12

yahoo sports staff
·2 min read

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 joining the Pac-12, the conference announced on social media. The Bulldogs are the revamped Pac-12's eighth member, but the school doesn't have football so it doesn'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 talks with FCS Tarleton State, sources told Yahoo Sports. The MWC also needs one more full member to qualify as a conference. Negotiations between the Texas-based FCS school and the conference have progressed.

Though they received a verbal offer last weekend, Texas State is staying put.

Texas State announced on social media on Tuesday night that it would not be joining the Mountain West and would instead stay in the Sun Belt. Texas State was reportedly in consideration to join the Pac-12, too, but the MWC was much closer in negotiations.

"The recent interest shown in Texas State and its presence across the college athletics landscape speaks volumes about the university and the work our staff and student-athletes have done to build the Bobcat brand nationally," Texas State athletic director Don Coryell said in a statement.

"After preliminary discussions with an interested conference, we have decided not to make a change at this time."

The Bobcats moved up to the FBS level in football in 2012 and joined the Sun Belt in 2013. It reached its first bowl game as an FBS school last year, and is off to a 2-2 start this season. The university, which has more than 30,000 undergraduate students enrolled, is located in San Marcos — which sits between San Antonio and Austin.