Are 2 remaining Pac-12 schools headed for Mountain West?

With Stanford and California having been invited to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the two remaining Pac-12 schools could find their way to the Mountain West.

Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday that she made presentations to both schools — Washington State on Aug. 24 and Oregon State on Monday — pitching the conference’s case to be the athletic programs’ next home.

Whether the two schools were ready to join the conference on the heels of the Cal and Stanford news was “too soon to say,” Nevarez said in a text message.

Southern Methodist also received an invitation Friday to join the ACC.

Nevarez said she had not had any recent meetings with other universities regarding potential conference realignment.

The once-powerhouse Pac-12 has imploded, with every school outside of Washington State and Oregon State announcing plans to leave the conference after the 2023-24 season.

Nevarez previously said the Mountain West was interested in adding all of the remaining Pac-12 schools, when four still remained at the time.

“We’re ready. We’ve done our due diligence about what we could do and think about,” Nevarez said last month. “We’re ready for the opportunity.”

UNLV President Keith Whitfield said last month that he believes the choice for Oregon State and Washington State will come down to the Mountain West and the American Athletic Conference, and that the conference the Rebels are in has a leg up.

“We’re probably more attractive (than the AAC). We’re a better conference,” Whitfield said, citing the proximity the Mountain West schools have to both of those programs.

The AAC said Friday it would not pursue the remaining Pac-12 schools, saying in a statement that ”we have concluded that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.