LOGAN — Utah State made a historic move this week, receiving and accepting an invite into the Pac-12 Conference, a league that dates back more than 100 years with plenty of tradition. It won’t be the same “Conference of Champions” without the old guard, teams like USC, UCLA and Oregon among most of the others. But it will likely be a step up for the Aggies.
USU Director of Athletics, Diana Sabau, joined the Full Court Press on 106.9 The FAN to discuss the what she called a “monumental moment for Utah State” and for Cache Valley.
“We have had a lot of emails and phone calls and outreach from community members and investors and donors that are prideful,” Sabau said “We have so much pride here in the valley and they’re so excited to be a part of the Pac-12. And just what that means for recruiting and for the future of our athletics program.”
The move required Utah State to be vigilant and be ready for dominoes to begin falling in this latest round of conference re-alignment. According to Sabau, the move earlier this month by Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State to join Oregon State and Washington State in the Pac-12 “wasn’t a surprise to anyone.”
“There was conversations long before I got to Utah State. I believe San Diego State tried to exit the Mountain West previously,” Sabau said. “We’re never gonna be caught flat footed with my leadership and we wanted to make sure that we were ready.”
In the immediate aftermath of the first four teams moving, the USU fanbase was certainly worried that it’d be left behind yet again. The Aggies’ history as the team on the outside of the waves of re-alignment is extensive, dating back to the 1960s and repeating itself as USU moved from the Skyline, to independence, then the PCAA, Big West, WAC and most recently the Mountain West.
Sabau acknowledged that some of that fear fans had was likely based on USU’s previously unfortunate history but said she took an optimistic view of things.
“Like we always say, ‘I believe’ so why not us? Why not believe Utah State?” Sabau said. “I’m always gonna take that position. I wanna make sure that we’re gonna pressure test something and we’re going to bring value to something that might already be existing. And then we’re gonna ask ourselves, how do we get there? What opportunities do we have? We have had so much support from the entire state of Utah, this great state, so much support from the Wasatch Front, from [Cache] Valley. People wanted this to happen.”
Prior to September, many on a national and local stage believed the Mountain West and Pac-12 were on track to merge, either by Oregon State and Washington State joining the Mountain West or a reverse merger with all Mountain West teams moving into the Pac-12. That simply didn’t pan out and Sabau said it was a “difficult decision” to move away from the conference that has been the Aggies’ home since 2013.
“I think we all want to build things. We don’t want to rip things apart,” Sabau said. “So being a part of the Mountain West and respecting everything that came with that, it was a very difficult decision to look a different direction, and to look at and embrace the Pac-12. But it was the right decision at the right time for Utah State.”
According to Sabau, the Aggies’ “Reach and Rise” fundraising campaign announced this past summer, which set a goal of raising $125 million, was something that appealed to the Pac-12. And in the joint release that officially revealed USU’s impending move, the university said it had already raised $21 million of that goal.
Some of that money may be needed to pay off exit fees and the poaching penalties that are required to leave the Mountain West by 2026 as planned. The exit fee itself is $17 million with millions more owed in poaching penalties due to the terms of the scheduling agreement between the Pac-12 and Mountain West (though the former is suing the latter over roughly $43 million owed in penalties from the MW teams that have already made the move).
The Aggies are likely to get help from the Pac-12, who have more than $200 million in money left behind by former members that was earned through playoff appearances in college football and basketball, among other things. Sabau didn’t speak to any specifics, but said they are “tremendously grateful for the support that has been already shown in the support that we know that will be coming” and that they “would not have perhaps accepted the invitation if we were not pleased at what we were provided.”
Sabau also outlined upcoming plans for facilities improvements that funds are being allocated for, some of the most pressing involving the women’s soccer team which has seen unprecedented success, rising as high as No. 7 recently in the Coaches Poll. Most notable of these improvements are lights for Chuck & Gloria Bell Field, which would allow for evening games to be played and, as Sabau hinted at, allow for the hosting of a postseason regional game.
Other upgrades would go toward the field itself, such as drainage and improving the absorption of the field to limit impact on player’s lower bodies. Sabau also said they’d look to build new grandstands, locker rooms, and a new press box for the field. Additionally, Sabau said they needed to upgrade the locker rooms for volleyball, another team experiencing a high amount of success in recent seasons.
