The Pac-12 taking steps to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West. It was announced on Thursday that Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State will join the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year, with the Pac-12 board of directors unanimously approving applications from the four Mountain West schools.
Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State will join Oregon State and Washington State, the conference’s two remaining schools following the league’s collapse in the summer of 2023. Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement: “For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics. 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.”
The additions are expected to be the first phase in a multi-phase expansion endeavor to reach at least eight schools, which is the NCAA’s minimum required to qualify as an FBS conference. Including the new four joining, the league needs two more schools to complete the process and much reach the minimum by July of 2026, the end of the NCAA’s two-year grace period.
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