The Utah State Aggies will officially join the Pac-12 Conference in 2026, it was announced on Tuesday evening.
Utah State will officially join the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026 and will compete in the conference in all sports.
“We are thrilled to welcome Utah State University to the Pac-12, as they join us on this exciting journey forward,” stated Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “With President Elizabeth Cantwell and Athletics Director Diana Sabau at the helm, Utah State brings invaluable strategic insights and leadership that will greatly benefit our conference and its members as well as a history of competitive excellence and success. Today marks another exciting step for the Pac-12 – and it’s just the beginning of phase two.”
The addition of Utah State will bring the rebuilding Pac-12’s membership roster up to seven schools. Oregon State and Washington State are the lone members of the Pac-12 through next season. Earlier this month, four other Mountain West teams — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State — announced that they will each join the Pac-12 in 2026.
“The vision of the Pac-12 Conference firmly aligns with USU’s mission and our commitments to the future,” said Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell. “This move unlocks new possibilities by directly enhancing the student-athlete experience and will significantly strengthen our reputation for competitive success, academic achievement, and research excellence.”
Utah State has competed in the Mountain West Conference since 2013. The Aggies were previously members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) until it folded in 2012.
“Joining the Pac-12 Conference exemplifies our commitment to elevating USU academics and athletics,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Diana Sabau said. “This will position all our teams in a multi-bid league for the NCAA postseason and championships. This is an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes, as well as our alumni, investors, the HURD and our Logan and Cache Valley communities and all of Aggie Nation.”
The Pac-12 is operating as a two-team conference in 2024 and 2025. NCAA bylaws state that Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences must have a minimum of eight teams, but the league has a two-year grace period to meet that threshold.
Stanford & California next.
Stanford, at $134.1 million, and Cal $129.5 million in annual athletic revenue both run at a revenue short-fall of ~40 million. Neither Stanford nor Cal can afford to leave the ACC ($134 million) and sign-on with a conference that at the very tippy top will generate annually ~$55 million.
Stanford & California returning to PAC 12 is not a priority for Me.
Thank you Spencer & Timo for advising me about it.
Stanford & Cal, are LOCKED into the ACC until 2036, just like the rest of them!!!
Why is this image using byu colors?
It’s a Pac-12 color, nothing to do with BYU.
That makes sense, because when the other 4 new teams were announced they were also on byus background…
The PAC-12/Mountain West merger is happening as I expected. All remaining MWC schools, as well as both New Mexico State and UTEP, must join this merger ASAP. The conference must be renamed the Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC) for the 2026-27 season.
The new PAC divisions would be as follows:
Mountain Division = (Pod A) Air Force, Colorado State, Utah State, and Wyoming + (Pod B) Boise State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, and UTEP
Pacific Division = (Pod C) Fresno State, Hawaii, San Diego State, and San Jose State + (Pod D) Nevada, Oregon State, UNLV, and Washington State
The two division winners would meet in the PAC Title Game at a neutral site on the first Friday or Saturday in December, whichever applicable. Problem solved. #BackthePac
College Football do not need divisions they are excellent without them.