SAN FRANCISCO - The 2022-23 collegiate season once again demonstrated the academic excellence and superior athletic performance of the Pac-12. With nine NCAA team national titles won by Conference institutions, it was the 18th consecutive season, and 57th out of the last 63, the Pac-12 led or tied for the national lead in NCAA titles. 

The Pac-12’s nine NCAA national championships were its most since 2018-19 (13) and are tied for the 12th most in Conference history. League institutions have combined to win 10+ NCAA crowns 11 times. No other conference has won double-digit NCAA championships in a single year.

The Pac-12 has won at least one NCAA title for each of the past 78 seasons (since 1945-46), multiple NCAA titles for each of the past 64 seasons (since 1959-60) and at least three NCAA titles for each of the past 54 seasons (since 1969-70).

The strong performances of Pac-12 institutions throughout the academic year was most evident in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, where STANFORD captured its 26th title and five teams placed among the top 25. The Pac-12’s success in the Cup was bolstered by five different institutions claiming NCAA titles, with nine league members combining to post 28 top-four finishes in 19 different NCAA championships.

Academically, Pac-12 student-athletes collected a national-best 104 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades, including 47 first-team honors.

In addition to these nine NCAA titles, ARIZONA STATE captured its sixth consecutive national title in the NCAA Emerging Sport of triathlon (Nov. 12), STANFORD won the College Sailing Dinghy National Championship, which is awarded by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (June 2), and the CALIFORNIA Men’s Rowing program claimed its second straight collegiate national championship awarded by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (June 4).

6 - Outside of NCAA competition, the Pac-12 tied for the national lead with six football programs in the final Associated Press Top 25.

• The Pac-12 was the only league in the country to feature five teams that finished with 10 or more wins (Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Utah, Washington) and the first Power 5 conference to do it since 2019.
• The Pac-12 had six schools appear in a Conference-record four College Football Playoff rankings throughout the season. The league boasted six schools in the final CFP rankings for the first time since 2014.
• The Pac-12 had eight quarterbacks throw for over 3,000 yards, tied for the most in college football history (also the Pac-12 in 2014). Six of those eight signal callers return in 2023.
• The Pac-12 also welcomes back the reigning Heisman winner in USC’s Caleb Williams. The seventh Heisman Trophy winner in Conference history, Williams is the first Pac-12 winner to return for another collegiate season since 2005 (Matt Leinart - USC).

5 - Led by champion STANFORD, five Pac-12 member institutions finished in the top 25 of the Division I LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings in 2022-23.

• STANFORD won an unprecedented 26th Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, which honors the best overall collegiate athletics program in the country. The Cardinal has won all but three of the 29 Directors’ Cups all-time.
• At No. 28, UTAH finished with its highest position in the final standings since the program began in 1993-94, eclipsing its previous best of 37th in 1997-98.
• The Pac-12 has had at least five member institutions earn scores in the Top 25 in all but one year of the Directors’ Cup program.
• Utah Director of Athletics Mark Harlan was selected as a 2022-23 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Harlan was one of just four recipients from across the FBS landscape, the association's highest division recognized.

7 - Pac-12 member institutions accounted for a combined seven NCAA team runner-up finishes, tied for the second-most of any conference, featuring all-Pac-12 title events in beach volleyball and men's & women's water polo.

12 - Pac-12 member institutions finished third or fourth in their respective NCAA events, tied for the second-most among all leagues.

32 - In addition to outstanding team performances, many individuals excelled while representing Pac-12 institutions, accounting for 32 national titles in individual events or competitions.

32 - With the addition of the inaugural Pac-12 Softball Tournament, the Conference conducted 32 team championships and crowned a total of 38 champions across its 24 sports programs. STANFORD outpaced all members, claiming 10 league titles in 2022-23. 

20 - Pac-12 members combined to produce 20 national athletes or coaches of the year from their respective sport governing associations in 2022-23. [Includes all awards announced as of June 30.]

131 - Across its 24 sponsored sports, Pac-12 programs combined for 131 NCAA Championships selections or appearances as well as seven football bowl game participants.

Pac-12 Networks & Conference Initiatives

The 2022-23 season marked the 11th season of coverage for Pac-12 Networks, which included Pac-12 Football and Men’s and Women’s Basketball Media Days, exclusive shoulder programming, championship coverage, and 850 live events across 28 sports. 

Pac-12 Networks also earned two regional Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) for its “Our Stories” series. In the Northwest region, “Our Stories: Alex Forsyth,” presented by Chime, was named best in the Sports Story - Short and Long Form Content category, while “Our Stories: Bryson and Brock Thompson,” presented by Chime, also earned the honor for the same category in the San Francisco/Northern California chapter of NATAS.

This past year further illustrated the Pac-12’s commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), student-athlete healthcare and safety protocols, and sustainability efforts  throughout the Conference and among its member institutions. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The 2022-23 season also saw the debut of the groundbreaking Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series, the men’s and women’s basketball scheduling partnership that placed crucial emphasis on anti-racism and educational opportunities in the area of social justice. Further, the Pac-12 had a prominent presence at the Black Student-Athlete Summit this past May, hosting a dinner and fireside chat at the event for student-athletes and administrators featuring Chief People & Inclusion Officer Quashan Lockett and Commissioner George Kliavkoff. The Conference also recently hosted an “Honoring Juneteenth” webinar event, including breakout sessions for attendees across the Pac-12 and a panel discussion facilitated by Lockett with university and corporate leaders across athletics and administration. 

Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being

The Pac-12 held a first-of-its-kind Student-Athlete Health Equity Summit this past January, a two-day event in Los Angeles hosted by the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Initiative. The meeting convened past and present student-athletes, medical professionals, and athletic training personnel for in-depth presentations and panel discussions related to healthcare disparities in collegiate athletics. The Health Equity Summit came on the heels of the passage of the Pac-12 Para athletics policy, legislation developed by the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) to support Pac-12 student-athletes who train to compete at the Paralympic Games or other elite Para athletic competitions. 

The Pac-12 SAHWBI also hosted its annual Student-Athlete Health Conference in May in Las Vegas, bringing together team physicians, mental health professionals, administrators, and other expert practitioners to elevate benchmark standards of care for student-athletes. The Pac-12 SAHWBI Research Grants Program continued its annual funding for projects developed at Conference member institutions, with topics including smartphone-based assessment of balance after concussion and mental health considerations for collegiate athletic trainers. Earlier this year, Dr. Kimberly Harmon, Head Football Physician for the University of Washington and former Pac-12 SAHWBI Research Development Director, was named to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, an independent group of university administrators, medical professionals, and nationally-regarded thought leaders that seeks to promote transformational change in collegiate athletics.

Sustainability 

Pac-12 Team Green continued its industry-leading sustainability efforts, promoting greening taking place on and around the Conference and all 12 member universities. The 2022 Pac-12 Football Championship Game was carbon neutral to become the first-ever among Power 5 conference title games. The Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge was also in full swing this season, with the University of Colorado Boulder earning first place for the 2022-23 football season and the University of California, Berkeley taking the crown for the 2022-23 basketball slate. In total, Pac-12 institutions diverted over 42,000 pounds of compostable waste and 54,000 pounds of recyclable waste during the 2022-23 Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge.

The annual Pac-12 Sustainability Conference took place at Stanford University from June 21-22, gathering well-renowned speakers, campus leaders and student-athletes for high-level discussions and best practices to create environmental progress. The event’s keynote speakers included Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, visiting Assistant Professor and ACES Faculty Fellow from Texas A&M University Dr. Jessica Murfree and former MLB outfielder and Co-Founder of “Players for the Planet” Chris Dickerson.