Jeff Traylor confirms UTSA listening to Pac-12 pitch

Does the center of the college football universe revolve around UTSA? No. Does the latest round of conference realignment -- and perhaps the future of the Group of 5 itself -- revolve around UTSA? Quite possibly.

The Pac-2 has become the Pac-6, with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State officially agreeing to join Oregon State and Washington State effective July 1, 2026. However, for that effort to be worth it, the Pac-6 will then have to become the Pac-8 in order to meet the NCAA's minimum threshold for a conference to remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision. 

July 1, 2026 is just around the corner in the realignment world, so time is of the essence for the Pac-6 to find (at least) two more members to join the party.

The strategy is clear: to kneecap its Group of 5 conferences in the Mountain West and the American, and thus make the Pac-12 the default choice for the G5 College Football Playoff bid (and perhaps more). 

Tulane and Memphis have been AAC schools most commonly associated with the Pac-12, but UTSA is often mentioned in the next breath. 

UTSA has an appeal no other school on the market can match. That appeal begins with the name: it's in Texas, which is home to lots and lots of football players and people who like to watch football. Furthermore, UTSA is the only NFL or FBS school in San Antonio, the nation's 31st-largest media market. Obviously, UTSA falls in line to some extent behind the Cowboys and the Texans (as a former resident, San Antonio might like the Cowboys more than Dallas does), and the Longhorns and the Aggies, but San Antonio has supported Jeff Traylor's Roadrunners. In 2023, UTSA out-drew Tulane, San Diego State, UNLV, SMU and Colorado State, among others. 

In an interview for his local radio show, Traylor lays it out as plainly as you'll ever hear any college football coach in his situation. In plain words, UTSA is loyal to the AAC, unless the Pac-12 pays more, in which case the Roadrunners will be loyal Pac-12 members. 

"Obviously, we're committed to the league we're in, and we're very grateful for the AAC, but we have to listen to the people that want to talk to us. I just think it has to make sense for us. Obviously geographically it might not be as aligned as the AAC is. But financially, what does that look like for us?

We're a program that's only been playing ball for 13 years. Most of our limitations are strictly just that. We have a booster base that's very loyal. They help us, they're just not a lot of us, because we haven't been around very long. So it's the same people always having to do the most. If you have the opportunity to expediate the growth of a 13-year program, you've got to listen to it."

The number the Pac-12 will have to beat is $7 million, which is how much the AAC reportedly pays each member per year. How much is it worth UTSA to trade the convenience of playing Rice and North Texas for the richest of flying to Oregon State and Washington State? 

"That is a real conversation that's happening as we speak."