Pac-12 Conference
 | |
| Formerly | Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU, 1959–1968) Pacific-8 (1968–1978) Pacific-10 (1978–2011) |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Founded | 1915 (as the Pacific Coast Conference) 1959 (as the AAWU) |
| Commissioner | Teresa Gould (since March 1, 2024) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FBS |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Headquarters | San Ramon, California, U.S. |
| Region | Western United States, Southern United States |
| Broadcasters | CBS Sports CW Sports USA Sports |
| Streaming partners | Paramount+ ESPN[1] |
| Website | pac-12 |
| Locations | |
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The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States and Southern United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of NCAA football competition. The conference currently consists of nine full-member institutions located in the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
The modern Pac-12 Conference formed after the disbanding of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the principal members of which founded the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) in 1959. The conference previously went by the names Big Five, Big Six, Pacific-8, and Pacific-10. The Pac-12 moniker was adopted in 2011 with the addition of Colorado and Utah.
Nicknamed the "Conference of Champions" (a phrase coined by former Washington State basketball coach George Raveling),[2] the Pac-12 has won more NCAA national championships in team sports than any other conference in history.[3] Washington's national title in women's rowing in 2017 was the 500th NCAA championship won by a Pac-12 school.[4] The Pac-12 holds a 200-plus championship lead over the second-place conference.
Following the departure of ten members during the 2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment, the conference temporarily operated with Oregon State and Washington State as its only full members during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 academic years. Beginning with the 2026–27 year, the Pac-12 expanded to nine full members and nineteen sports with the additions of Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State. The conference also expanded its affiliate membership in baseball, men's soccer, men's wrestling, and women's gymnastics.[5][6]
Member universities
[edit]Full members
[edit]
The Pac-12 currently has nine full member institutions. The conference was previously split into two divisions, the North Division and the South Division, for football only. On September 12, 2024, the conference announced it would be adding four new members, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State, on July 1, 2026.[7] However, the conference needed to add at least two more football-playing members to be recognized by the NCAA as an FBS conference.[8] On September 23, 2024, Utah State accepted an offer to join the league as its seventh member.[5] This gave the Pac-12 the seven members needed to preserve its official "multisport" status,[9] though one more football-sponsoring full member was needed to preserve FBS status.[10] On September 30, 2024, the conference announced that Gonzaga, a non-football University, would be joining as a full member.[11] In June 2025, it was reported that Texas State would announce its move to the Pac-12 on June 30, 2025, the last day before that school's exit fee from the Sun Belt Conference would have doubled from $5 million to $10 million.[12] Texas State's arrival, announced that same day, marked the ninth full-time member for the Pac-12 and also the eighth and final football member required to preserve FBS status.[13]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment (fall 2023)[14] |
Median earnings[15] | Endowment (millions – FY24)[16] |
Nickname | Joined[a] | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | 1932 | Public | 26,670 | $64,791 | $162 | Broncos | 2026 | |
| California State University, Fresno | Fresno, California | 1911 | 23,986 | $59,992 | $255 | Bulldogs | |||
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | 1870 | 33,500 | $67,911 | $624 | Rams | |||
| Gonzaga University[b] | Spokane, Washington | 1887 | Catholic (Jesuit) |
7,306 | $80,896 | $452 | Bulldogs | ||
| Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | 1868 | Public | 35,622 | $71,799 | $1,010 | Beavers | 1915, 1964 |
|
| San Diego State University | San Diego, California | 1897 | 39,241 | $68,268 | $460 | Aztecs | 2026 | ||
| Texas State University | San Marcos, Texas | 1899 | 40,678 | $58,786 | $393 | Bobcats | |||
| Utah State University | Logan, Utah | 1888 | 28,063 | $63,484 | $615 | Aggies | |||
| Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | 1890 | 26,490 | $73,467 | $1,500 | Cougars | 1917, 1962 |
- Notes
Affiliate members
[edit]The Pac-12 has affiliate member institutions competing in baseball, men's soccer, men's wrestling, women's swimming & diving, and women's gymnastics.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment (fall 2023)[14] |
Nickname | Joined[a] | Colors | Pac-12 sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) |
Air Force Academy, Colorado[b] | 1954 | Military | 4,124 | Falcons | 2026[c] | Men's wrestling | Mountain West (MW) | |
| California Baptist University (Cal Baptist) |
Riverside, California | 1950 | Baptist | 11,491 | Lancers | 2026[c] | Men's soccer | Big West (BWC) | |
| Women's swimming and diving | |||||||||
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) |
San Luis Obispo, California | 1901 | Public | 22,485 | Mustangs | 1986 | Men's wrestling | Big West (BWC) | |
| 2026[c] | Men's soccer | ||||||||
| California State University, Bakersfield[d] (Cal State Bakersfield) |
Bakersfield, California | 1965 | Public | 9,787 | Roadrunners | 1987 | Men's wrestling | Big West (BWC) | |
| Dallas Baptist University (DBU) |
Dallas, Texas | 1898 | Baptist | 4,201 |