As the Pac-12 continues to search far and wide for more teams to join the conference in 2026, a fifth member of the Mountain West Conference has pledged its commitment.
Tuesday night, the Utah State Aggies announced they would follow in the footsteps of Mountain West mates Boise State Broncos, Colorado State Rams, Fresno State Bulldogs, and San Diego State Aztecs and join the Pac-12 starting in 2026.
𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐄𝐑𝐀!@USUAthletics 🤝 @pac12
➡️ https://t.co/Mp0p1DfMt1 pic.twitter.com/d2qNrtjP70
— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) September 25, 2024
“We are thrilled to welcome Utah State University to the Pac-12, as they join us on this exciting journey forward. 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,” Pac-12 president Teresa Gould said in a statement.
It’s been a fascinating couple of weeks for the Pac-12, which tried to poach multiple schools, including the Memphis Tigers, from the American Athletic Conference but was turned down.
With Utah State’s commitment, the Pac-12 is now up to seven confirmed teams for the 2026-27 season. They need to get at least one more to meet the NCAA’s requirement for minimum number of teams in a conference, but it’s likely that the Pac-12 will go past eight teams.
[Utah State Athletics]
