The Pac-12 is rebuilding, and perhaps the biggest addition (thus far) came on Tuesday when the “Conference of Champions” plucked Gonzaga away from the WCC. Gonzaga will join Mountain West programs Utah State, Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State in the new-look conference on July 1, 2026.
The second wave of the Pac-12’s plan to become an officially recognized conference comes after Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, and South Florida reaffirmed their commitment to remain in the AAC after the Pac-12 pursued them to join.
With Oregon State and Washington State remaining in the Pac-12 due to being left out of the first round of conference realignment that saw Cal and Stanford leave for the ACC; Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington depart for the Big Ten and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah exit for the Big 12, the door remained open for the Pac-12 to rebuild from the ground up.
From a college basketball perspective, the additions of some of the top programs from the Mountain West — considered the most exciting mid-major league in the sport last season — gives the Pac-12 a launching board to rebuild. The addition of Gonzaga is even more notable based on the success the program has had over the last two decades.
The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in every season the tournament has been held since the 1998-99 campaign and have reached the second weekend of the tournament nine consecutive years. Gonzaga most recently reached the Final Four in 2021 before falling to Baylor in the national title game.
Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State and San Diego State all reached the NCAA Tournament this past season and the MWC has had recent success in the NCAA Tournament — highlighted by San Diego State reaching the Final Four last spring.
The college basketball landscape will look different for the upcoming 2024-25 season due to the various realignment moves…
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