LOGAN — A day after reports came out that Utah State would join the Pac-12 Conference, the two sides made the news official with a joint press release Tuesday evening. It confirmed the Aggies will join Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State in moving from the Mountain West to join the remnants of the old Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State.
“Joining the Pac-12 Conference exemplifies our commitment to elevating USU academics and athletics,” USU 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 vision of the Pac-12 Conference firmly aligns with USU’s mission and our commitments to the future,” Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell said. “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.”
The move comes in the wake of a historic 2023-24 sports season that saw Utah State win four Mountain West championships, coming in women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s basketball and men’s tennis.
“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 the statement. “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 move deals a potentially crippling blow to the Mountain West, a conference that is now down to six full-time members, plus Hawai’i as a football-only member. The Aggies’ move also led to UNLV and Air Force reconsidering each of its commitment to stay in the conference which came prior to the news that USU was not staying in the Mountain West.
As of now, the Pac-12 does not itself meet the minimum requirements to be a recognized conference by the NCAA. That would require at least one more addition to reach the required eight member institutions. The joint statement from USU and the Pac-12 have clearly indicated an intention to expand more, saying “the collective seven universities will collaboratively chart additional membership and other future conference considerations.”
Which additional schools may get an invite remains speculative with reports indicating that at least some discussion has taken place between the Pac-12 and each of UNLV, Gonzaga (as a non-football member) and UConn (as a football-only member). Air Force may be a possibility, though the AAC may have made the more significant overtures to the academy, especially since fellow service academies Navy and Army are both in the AAC.
