Pac-12 Basketball: 10 potential candidates for expansion after losing USC and UCLA

Gonzaga

We find ourselves at the most polarizing option, but also the one that probably makes the most sense if the Pac-12 wants to survive this round of realignment. Gonzaga does not have a football program and isn’t likely to add one in the coming years, but they do have one of the nation’s best basketball programs. A marriage between Gonzaga and the Pac-12 has long since been discussed, making great sense for a school in eastern Washington, but that lack of football team has always been an issue.

We don’t need to reflect too much because everyone already knows that Gonzaga’s basketball program is in great shape. They’ve played in two of the last five national title games, they are regularly at or near the top of the AP Top 25, and they continue to win WCC titles on a regular basis. There’s absolutely no reason to believe that Gonzaga couldn’t join the Pac-12 and win its titles with regularity as well; though perhaps not quite as often when playing Arizona and Oregon regularly.

Would the Pac-12 gladly accept Gonzaga without football now? Without UCLA or USC, the conference really needs to make a splash move to prevent the rest of the league from splintering off. The Bulldogs have proven that their basketball program is one of the best in the nation and they shouldn’t be playing in a mid-major league for much longer; but is it the Pac-12 that is able to land the Spokane school?