The new Pac-12 Conference officially launches with the addition of seven full-time members

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State officially join Oregon State and Washington State to chart the next era of the league’s 110-year-old legacy

7/1/2026 7:30:09 AM

By: Pac-12 Conference


League also announces its basketball tournaments will return to Las Vegas in partnership with MGM Resorts and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Sports sponsorship and championships information for Pac-12 Olympic sports also announced, as well as the launch of a special edition content series in promotion of the upcoming football season 
 

July 1, 2026 — Today, seven new full-time member institutions officially join the Pac-12 Conference, including Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State. With the additions, the new Pac-12 features nine full-time members and is set to compete in its first season with the 2026-27 campaign. 
 


The league also officially welcomed 12 new affiliate members today across five Olympic sports, including baseball (Dallas Baptist), men’s soccer (Cal Baptist, Cal Poly, UC Riverside, UC San Diego), women’s gymnastics (Southern Utah), women’s swimming (Cal Baptist) and wrestling (Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State).

In addition to official member admissions and the launch of the new Pac-12, and amid celebrations across new member communities, the league also made a series of other announcements related to its basketball tournaments, its official sports sponsorship and championships and a special edition content series in promotion of its first football season. 
 


PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS RETURN TO LAS VEGAS
 


In partnership with MGM Resorts and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the Pac-12 announced today details for its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, returning to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. 

Set to tip off on Tuesday, March 9, 2027, both men’s and women’s postseason events will take place on the same days as part of two eight-game tournaments held over five days. 

All nine teams for both sports will participate in the tournaments, beginning with a play-in game on the first day between the lowest two seeds, as set by regular season performance and any necessary tiebreakers. The tournaments will continue on day two with the first round featuring two games for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship rounds. Formats for both tournaments will see the two highest seeds receive a double-bye into the semifinal round and the third- and fourth-highest seeds a bye into the quarterfinal round. 

For each day and round, the women’s tournament games will take place ahead of the men’s, all at MGM Grand. 

Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournament Format Overview

  • All nine teams participate in both sports.
  • 2027 tournaments take place March 9-13 at MGM Grand Garden Arena, with the women’s tournament games taking place ahead of the men’s each day.
  • Both tournaments begin with a play-in game on day one between seeds No. 8 and No. 9, with all seeds determined by the regular season. 
  • No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive a double-bye into the semifinals on Friday, March 12, while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive a single-bye into the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11.
  • Both championship games will take place on Saturday, March 13. 
"Bringing the next era of the Pac-12 and our basketball tournaments back to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Garden Arena is a testament to the strength of our teams and brands," said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. "With combined dates and new formats for both our men's and women's events, our rich basketball legacy meets transformation with exciting new energy. We look forward to creating all-new memories for our student-athletes and fans by continuing to work with great partners in MGM Resorts and the LVCVA."

National TV Coverage for Pac-12 Basketball Tournaments

As previously announced, the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament will see its first seven games and four rounds broadcast nationally on USA Network in partnership with USA Sports, ahead of the title game also being featured nationally via free-to-air broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. The Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament will also be featured on national television with free-to-air broadcast coverage on The CW for its semifinal round and title game, with broadcast information and details of the first five games and three rounds to be announced at a later date.

Pac-12 Basketball Tournament History in Las Vegas 

The Pac-12 previously held its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in Las Vegas in partnership with MGM Resorts and LVCVA. The men’s tournament previously took place in Las Vegas for 12 seasons from 2013-24, including at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for four seasons from 2013-16. The women’s tournament was held in Las Vegas for six seasons from 2019-24, including at the MGM Grand Garden Arena twice in 2019 and 2024.

MGM Resorts’ Senior Vice President of Entertainment, Arena & Venue Operations Dan Quinn added: "We are proud to welcome the return of the Pac-12 Conference to the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the opportunity to continue our longstanding partnership. Bringing together both the men’s and women’s Conference basketball championships under one roof creates an exciting experience for the student-athletes and fans.  We look forward to providing a world-class stage for the next chapter of Pac-12 basketball in Las Vegas.”
 
 

NEW PAC-12 SPORTS SPONSORSHIP & CHAMPIONSHIPS 

The new era of the Pac-12 will see sponsorship of 10 women's sports and nine men's sports, providing championship competition across the fall, winter and spring seasons in 18 of those 19 sports, including the first-ever championship events for men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball in the league’s 110-year history. 

Below is the comprehensive list of Pac-12 sports beginning in the 2026-27 athletic season, along with the championship dates and locations for the 26-27 campaign.

2026-27 Pac-12 Men’s Sports & Championships
 

Sport

Championship

Location

No. Teams (Championship)

Football 

Fri., Dec. 4

High-Seed Hosts

2

Baseball

May 27-30

Oregon State

7

Basketball

March 9-13

MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

9

Cross Country

Fri., Oct. 30

Boise State

7

Golf

April 30 - May 2

Washington State

9

Soccer

Nov. 7 - 13/14

High-Seed Hosts

4

Tennis

–

–

–

Outdoor Track & Field

May 13-15

Fresno State

7

Wrestling

March 4-5 or 5-6

Little Rock

9
 

2026-27 Pac-12 Women’s Sports & Championships
 

Sport

Championship

Location

No. Teams (Championship)

Basketball

March 9-13

MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

9

Cross Country

Fri., Oct. 30

Boise State

9

Golf

April 25-27

San Diego State

8

Gymnastics

March 20

Oregon State

4

Soccer

Nov. 11-15 (week of)

Best 2026 non-con RPI

4

Softball

May 12-15

Texas State

6

Swimming & Diving

Feb. 24-27

Houston, TX

5

Tennis

April 23-25

Colorado State

8

Outdoor Track & Field

May 13-15

Fresno State

9

Volleyball

Week of Nov. 23

Best first-half win %

4
 
 

“THE DAWN,” A SPECIAL EDITION FOOTBALL SERIES, TO RUN THROUGH JULY

In celebration of the new league and in promotion of its first and upcoming football season, the Pac-12 today announced and debuted a special edition series with The Dawn. The 10-episode series will feature candid, in-depth discussions with all eight head football coaches and Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. Produced in partnership with Y-Option and hosted by Y-Option’s Yogi Roth, longtime college football analyst and broadcaster, the featured discussions with head football coaches touch on a number of topics, including culture, expectations, leadership and each leader’s vision for the future of their program and for the new league.

Offering intimate insights from the people driving the next chapter of Pac-12 football, the series will culminate with a final and 10th episode focused on and featuring never-before-seen content from behind-the-scenes of the building of the new Pac-12 Conference over the past two years. 

The Dawn debuts on Wednesday, July 1, with the first episode featuring Commissioner Gould and will continue throughout the month of July with two new episodes per week, each featuring a discussion with a different head football coach. The finale will debut in August, ahead of the new football season’s kickoff. All episodes will be featured across the Pac-12’s YouTube (youtube.com/pac12) and Pac-12 Insider (pac12.me/insider), the league’s 24/7 FAST channel, for all to enjoy. 

Programming Schedule (Pac-12’s YouTube + Pac-12 Insider)

  • Wednesday, July 1 at 3p PT — Teresa Gould, Pac-12
  • Sunday, July 5 at 7a PT — Jim Mora, Colorado State
  • Thursday, July 9 at 3p PT — JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State
  • Sunday, July 12 at 7a PT — Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State
  • Thursday, July 16 at 3p PT — GJ Kinne, Texas State
  • Sunday, July 19 at 7a PT — Kirby Moore, Washington State
  • Thursday, July 23 at 3p PT — Sean Lewis, San Diego State
  • Sunday, July 26 at 7a PT — Matt Entz, Fresno State
  • Thursday, July 30 at 3p PT — Spencer Danielson, Boise State

Debut information for the 10th and final episode will be announced at a later date. 

 
 

NEW PAC-12: A TIER OF ITS OWN
 


Over the last five seasons since 2021—the beginning of the NIL/Transfer Portal era—and considering conference compositions beginning with the 2026 season, the new Pac-12 has stacked up competitively as a Top 5 league in a tier of its own across a number of notable data points in both football and men’s basketball, as well as other sports, including:

Pac-12 Football: Last Five Seasons

  • Fourth-best overall winning percentage (.537) for any league behind only the SEC (.612), Big Ten (.591) and Big 12 (.554).
    • Six of the Pac-12’s eight programs have a .500-or-better record over the last five seasons, tied with the Big 12 for the highest percentage (75%) of members. 
  • Top 5 average FPI ranking (78) along with the SEC (28), Big Ten (40), Big 12 (46) and ACC (52).
  • Top 5 average SP+ ranking (74) along with the SEC (29), Big Ten (44), Big 12 (52) and ACC (58)
  • Top 5 SportSource Analytics Team Success average rating and ranking (42.9, 74), along with the SEC (65.6, 33), Big Ten (60.1, 43), Big 12 (55.3, 48) and ACC (49.8, 59).
  • One of only five conferences to have seen more than half its football membership ranked at some point in the AP Top 25 poll over the last five seasons (75%, 6 of 8), including the SEC (100%, 16 of 16), Big 12 (94%, 15 of 16), ACC (88%, 15 of 17) and Big Ten (83%, 15 of 18).
  • One of only five conferences to have seen more than half its football membership ranked at some point in the CFP Top 25 over the last five seasons (63%, 5 of 8), including the SEC (94%, 15 of 16), Big 12 (94%, 15 of 16), Big Ten (78%, 14 of 18) and ACC (71%, 12 of 17).
In addition, the new Pac-12 saw 75% of its collective future membership (6 of 8) reach bowl eligibility and participate in the postseason in 2025, the highest percentage of membership for any conference last season.

Pac-12 Men’s Basketball: Last Five Seasons
  • Top 6 average in NET ranking (91.1), just behind the ACC (89.9) for 5th and well ahead of the next closest (Atlantic 10, 135.4). Closer to 1st (Big 12, 48.2) than 7th.
    • Six of the Pac-12’s nine men’s basketball programs have a Top 100 average NET ranking in that span, the 5th-highest percentage (66.7%) of all conferences.
  • Top 6 average in KenPom ranking (89.8), just behind the ACC (86.0) for 5th and well ahead of the next closest (Atlantic 10, 135.2).  Closer to 1st (Big 12, 47.1) than 7th.
  • Over the last six seasons, seven of the league's nine programs made at least one appearance in the NCAA Men's Tournament, tied for the fifth-highest percentage of members (77.8%) among all leagues.
  • Over the last four seasons, the league has seen 16 total NCAA bids across six programs, tied for the fifth-most bids among all leagues (also, Big East).

In addition, and over the last six seasons dating back to the 2020-21 campaign, the new Pac-12 has seen multiple teams reach the National Championship game (2021 Gonzaga, 2023 San Diego State), as one of only three conferences with multiple men’s programs appearing in the title match since 2021 (also Big Ten & Big 12). 
 

 

NEW PAC-12 MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS

The new Pac-12 launches with CBS Sports, USA Sports and CW Sports as its media partners for all league-controlled football broadcasts as well as the vast majority of its regular season men’s basketball home games and 20-25 women’s basketball home regular season games. 

Across the three partnerships, the Pac-12 will see 100% of its football slate featured across national linear television, including national over-the-air broadcasts and wide-reach cable television, culminating with the Pac-12 championship game on CBS and Paramount+. 

The Pac-12 and its broadcast partners also feature a fan-friendly slate of scheduled kickoff times for the full season, as announced in May 2026.

New Pac-12’s Broadcast Highlights

  • Football’s maximum reach & national exposure - The new Pac-12 will see the entirety of its football slate, its home game broadcasts, available either to 100% of U.S. television households via national over-the-air broadcast networks (CBS & The CW) or via cable, satellite or over-the-top streaming on national cable networks (CBS Sports Network & USA Network).
  • Men’s Basketball - Similarly for men’s basketball the league will see the overwhelming majority (over 70 percent) of its regular season home games broadcast across the same networks (CBS, The CW, CBS Sports Network and USA Network). In addition, the league’s men’s basketball tournament will be featured on USA Network leading up to the championship game on CBS.
  • Women’s Basketball - The new Pac-12 will see women’s basketball featured across The CW (15 regular season games) and USA Network (5-10 regular season games) as well as its semifinals and championship game of the league’s tournament on The CW.
  • Pac-12 Enterprises production - The league’s best-in-class broadcast production company, Pac-12 Enterprises, will produce 150+ broadcasts for the new Pac-12’s media partners across football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball as part of its long-term partnerships. 
 
 

2026 PAC-12 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Across the 13-week season, the Pac-12’s 2026 football schedule includes a number of notable highlights, including:

  • Of the Pac-12’s 24 non-conference games vs. FBS opponents, 20 are against teams that were bowl-eligible in 2025, with 17 teams going to postseason games (Pac-12 schools have two games each against Washington and UTSA while Kansas State opted out of the postseason). The only four FBS opponents in 2026 that were not bowl-eligible in 2025 are San Jose State (3-9), UCLA (3-9), UTEP (2-10) and Wyoming (4-8).
  • Pac-12 teams will face six teams that played in their respective FBS conference championship games last season, including three who won their conference:
    • Texas Tech (Big 12 champ) at Oregon State (Sat., Sept. 12, 4:30pm PT on CBS)
    • North Texas (American runner-up) at Texas State (Sat., Sept. 19, 9am PT on USA Network)
    • BYU (Big 12 runner-up) at Colorado State (Sat., Sept. 19, 4:30pm PT on CBS)
    • James Madison (Sun Belt champ) at San Diego State (Sat., Sept. 19, 7pm PT on The CW)
    • Troy (Sun Belt runner-up) at Utah State (Sat., Sept. 26, 4:30pm PT on The CW)
    • Western Michigan (MAC champ) hosts Boise State (Sat., Sept. 26, time/network TBD)
  • The Pac-12 will face three teams that competed in the 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP) including Texas Tech and James Madison matchups as well as Boise State visiting Oregon (Sat., Sept. 5, 12:30pm PT on CBS).
  • Of the Pac-12’s eight non-conference games against FCS opponents (one per school), six of those games are against teams that went .500-or-better last season, including two games against teams that competed in the 2025 FCS Playoffs:
    • South Dakota (FCS quarterfinalist) at Boise State (Sat., Sept. 19, 7pm PT on CBS Sports Network)
    • Montana (FCS semifinalist) at Oregon State (Sat., Sept. 19, 8pm PT on USA Network)
  • Overall, for the league’s 32 total non-conference games:
    • 12 games vs. teams from the Big 12 (6), Big Ten (5) and SEC (1)
    • 11 games vs. teams that won 10+ games in 2025
    • 15 games vs. teams that won 9+ games
    • 23 games vs. teams that won 7+ games
    • 25 games vs. teams that were .500 or better

Home-and-Home Flex Matchup

For the final week of the regular season, Week 13, the Pac-12 will feature a first-of-its-kind flex scheduling model in which the league retains the right to adjust matchups based on the best interests of the conference, including College Football Playoff (CFP) considerations at that time. All four games will take place on Saturday, Nov. 28 and matchups will not be determined until six days prior at the latest.

In any flexed format for Week 13 matchups, home teams will include Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and Washington State. The format ensures a minimum of six home games for each Pac-12 member as well as four home games each against fellow Pac-12 opponents. Further considerations will be taken into account should any flex occur among the stated projected matchups.

 
 

NEW PAC-12 BRAND IDENTITY

In April 2026, the Pac-12, in partnership with its nine member universities, debuted an evolved primary mark and logo as the foundation of the new league’s brand identity. 

To stay true to its student-athlete-centered values, the Pac-12 worked across its member universities and teams to provide student-athletes across all nine campuses special-edition T-shirts and the opportunity to introduce the starting point of the new league’s identity. T-shirts featured the new logo across the front, a special student-athlete-edition patch along the side and all nine new current and incoming member universities along the spine as the backbone of the new Pac-12.

New Pac-12 Marks & Brand Identity Guidelines

In addition to the evolved primary mark, the league also recently introduced an evolved horizontal version across social media. 

For an overview of the new Pac-12’s brand identity, including all registered marks and usage, the league has updated its guidelines, available here on Pac-12.com.
 


MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA 

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings. For more information, visit GrandGardenArena.com.