By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
After being decimated by realignment, the Pac-12 started its rebuild by signing four schools from the Mountain West Conference.
Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State will join the conference in 2026, the Pac-12 announced Thursday. They’ll officially become members on July 1, 2026, and begin competing in the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year.
The Pac-12 was wiped out by conference realignment, with only Oregon State and Washington State remaining. Things started when USC and UCLA were approved as Big Ten members in 2022, and the dominoes continued to fall last year when Stanford and Cal made the move to the ACC and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah headed to the Big 12. All of those moves will become effective this season.
Left with few options, NCAA conference bylaws provided the Pac-12 a two-year grace period to get back up to a minimum of eight members. Now up to six schools by 2026, the Pac-12 will aim to push for at least two more—perhaps on a quicker timeline—to reach the minimum number. Multiple reports indicate other Mountain West schools would be the preferred target.
“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Commissioner Teresa Gould said.
“We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”
Good morning! It’s a beautiful new day
