San Diego State has accepted an invitation to join the PAC-12 Conference, announced early Thursday morning. The initiation of a new conference for the Scarlet and Black will become official on July 1st, 2026.
“We are ecstatic to be joining the Pac-12 Conference,” San Diego State director of athletics John David Wicker said via GoAztecs.com. “While we are grateful to be a founding member of the Mountain West with 26 years of success in the conference, we are excited at what lies ahead with these new opportunities. We will continue to compete for conference championships on the field and to graduate leaders in the community.”
San Diego State and the PAC-12 had been linked together a year prior, taken under consideration as an expansion plan for the conference. This plan was put to rest as Cal and Stanford moved to the ACC, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Colorado State moved to the Big 12, and Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC moved to the Big 10.
The Aztecs join the PAC-12 alongside Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State as the newcomers to the conference. Rounding out the last two spots are the remaining members from the PAC-12, Oregon State and Washington State. This announcement comes just one year after the conference saw 10 of its 12 members leave for 3 different conferences all in the span of months.
“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Commissioner Teresa Gould stated. “I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”
It is expected that all four schools exiting the Mountain West will face a nearly $20 million exit fee. With the current scheduling agreement in place for the PAC-12, it’s also expected that a withdrawal fee of $43 million will have to be paid to the Mountain West for poaching four teams, the number will rise to $67.5 million if they poach two additional teams in the future.
Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez released a statement Wednesday Night regarding the pending news.
“The Mountain West Conference is aware of media reports regarding the potential departure of several of our members, and we will have more to say in the days ahead,” Nevarez said. “All members will be held to the Conference bylaws and policies should they elect to depart. The requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12 should they admit Mountain West members. Our Board of Directors is meeting to determine our next steps. The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”
The San Diego State Aztecs will take a step up in 2026, leaving behind their Mountain West-leading 96 league titles, bringing to the PAC-12 the highest combined winning percentage between football and basketball in the nation since 2010 (.727).
