The Pac-12 Conference decided to expand overnight, as the league invited Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State to join the league. It was a done deal Friday morning when the league made a formal announcement.

It’s quite possible that the Pac-12 isn’t ready yet either.

After the league imploded last year and 10 different teams left the conference, Oregon State and Washington State won the right to keep the conference name and branding. It was also given a two-year grace period by the NCAA to remain a conference.

The transition period ends in the fall of 2026, by which time the Pac-12 must have at least eight teams to remain a football conference.

So it’s clear that the Pac-12 needs at least two more teams. That’s where Tulane might come in.

Pete Nakos of On3.com compiled a list of nine teams that could interest the Pac-12 as they look to fill out their conference. The Green Wave made the list.

The other schools were Memphis, UTSA, Cal, Stanford, UNLV, Air Force, Wyoming and New Mexico.

Cal and Stanford, of course, were longtime members of the Pac-12, which joined the ACC in August. The deal with the ACC is not financially beneficial for either school. Cal and Stanford will each start with just 30 percent of ACC payouts. ACC members typically get more than $40 million a year in league payouts from TV contracts and other revenue.

The other schools are a mix of American Athletic Conference programs, such as Tulane, and other Mountain West members.

So what’s Tulane’s case for moving to the Pac-12? According to Nakos, Tulane has emerged as one of the best football programs in Group 5. The Green Wave has been to the AAC title game the past two years and won the crown in 2022, following that title with a Cotton Bowl victory over USC.

Tulane also could provide access to a new market: New Orleans. As a designated market area (DMA), New Orleans is the No. 50 media market in the country.

The Pac-12 currently has no recruiting footprint in the South. Luring Tulane would give the league access to neighboring states for recruiting, including Texas, one of the best testing grounds for high school talent in the country.

Tulane sponsors 18 NCAA sports, but the realignment will likely be driven by football, leaving the Green Wave well-positioned for potential expansion.

What’s unclear is how many members the Pac-12 is seeking. At one point, the Pac-12 was the Pac-8 before adding Arizona and Arizona State in 1978 to become the Pac-10. A dozen years ago, the league became the Pac-12 with the addition of Colorado and Utah.

All four of these schools are now in the Big 12. Tulane could benefit from their departure.