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Corvallis, Ore. — Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said the newly rebuilt Pac-12 will look to add at least two more schools for 2026 as soon as possible.

“I think John Wooden said it, ‘Let’s hurry but don’t rush,'” Burns said Saturday. “Fix it, but it’s in our best interest to move as soon as possible.”

The Champions Conference, which collapsed with the departure of its 10 teams, announced a new incarnation Thursday with four Mountain West teams joining Oregon State and Washington.

A revitalized Pac-12 will open in 2026 with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. But the league must have at least eight teams to qualify for automatic inclusion in the NCAA Championship and the College Football Playoff.

Asked if he had seen any teams express interest in joining the conference within 48 hours of the realignment announcement, Barnes said simply: “A bunch.”

Barnes spoke before the rivalry game between Oregon State and former conference foe Oregon, which jumped into the Big Ten this season. He said the league could potentially add more than just two schools to reach the NCAA and CFP threshold.

“It’s very similar to the processes we’ve used to bring in these foundational members, the criteria will be very similar. We’ve already started in earnest with our first meeting yesterday to look at the landscape. There’s a lot of interest in this. Early stages,” Barnes said.

“I want to wrap it up as soon as possible,” he added. “But of course we want to get it right. These are long-term, historic decisions that we’re making, and we’ll take a long time to make sure we get the right new members. But the sooner we can move on the better.”

With only two active schools, the Pac-12 is taking advantage of NCAA rules that allow for a two-year grace period. Currently, the Beavers and Cougars have a football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for this season, giving them six opponents from their league to fill their schedules. The contract does not extend beyond this season.

Part of that deal included millions of dollars in additional fees for the Pac-12 if it poached Mountain West schools. All told, the Mountain West Conference shake-up could cost $110 million.

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