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The Pac-12 has officially announced the addition of Utah State as a member of its conference.
Utah State is set to join the Pac-12 beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Here’s the official announcement:
IT'S OFFICIAL!!!#BackThePac x @USUAthletics pic.twitter.com/1fsMUD8hlG
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 25, 2024
“We are thrilled to welcome Utah State University to the Pac-12, as they join us on this exciting journey forward,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a press release. “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.”
This announcement comes just days after the Pac-12 added 4 other former Mountain West Conference members: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State.
Those 5 schools join the existing membership of Oregon State and Washington State to form what is currently a 7-team conference. More realignment is expected in the coming weeks and months, as the NCAA requires a minimum of 8 programs to be an officially recognized conference.
Utah State football has competed in the Mountain West since 2013. Prior to that, the Aggies were members of the WAC.
The Pac-12 has held high-profile negotiations with a number of programs in recent days. The league was unsuccessful in recruiting AAC programs such as Memphis, USF, UTSA and Tulane.
All 5 incoming members will start playing football in the revamped Pac-12 beginning with the 2026 season.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
