Realignment after dark might bring the Pac-12 back to life.
The Pac-12 announced Thursday that Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State will be joining the conference on July 1, 2026. The four Mountain West schools will be in place for the 2026 football season.
"An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today," said Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould.
The Mountain West Conference reportedly will receive $111 in exit fees, and the Pac-12 must pay the Mountain West Conference $43 million as part of the scheduling agreement, according to Action Network's Brett McMurphy.
Realignment never stops, and the Pac-12 might be making a comeback after all.
Pac-12 expansion teams
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State have enjoyed varying levels of success in football.
The Broncos are the most-recognizable program in the 21st century. Boise State elevated from the FCS to the FBS in 1996, and they were in the national championship race multiple times in the BCS era. From a football perspective, this is the most-visible addition for the conference.
Fresno State joined the Mountain West Conference in 2012. The Bulldogs previously played in the Western Athletic Conference and built their reputation for scheduling power conference opponents from 1997-2011 under coach Pat Hill.
Colorado State was a member of the WAC from 1968-1998, and the Rams have been in the Mountain West Conference since 1998.
San Diego State announced its intention to leave the Mountain West Conference in 2023, but they rescinded that in time to stay in the conference.
Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State have won 9 of the last 11 MWC championships and have been in the MWC championship game every season since 2013.
Pac-12 football teams
With the addition of those four schools, the Pac-12 will have six schools in 2026. Oregon State and Washington State stayed in the Pac-12 after 10 schools moved through the last realignment shift.
Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington left for the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah left for the Big 12, and Cal and Stanford left for the ACC.
The Pac-12 needs two more schools by 2026 to be recognized as a FBS conference. Whether that is a Power conference or Group of 5 conference remains to be seen. Oregon State and Washington State can only receive at-large bids in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Pac-12 schools in 2026
| Boise State | Oregon State |
| Colorado State | San Diego State |
| Fresno State | Washington State |
Who's left in the Mountain West Conference?
Mountain West Conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez released a statement and said the conference board of directors are meeting to determine the next steps.
If those four schools leave, the Mountain West will be left with eight schools – right at the line of membership. Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming are the remaining schools in the conference. Those schools are still part of the Group of 5, which gets one automatic playoff berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff era.
Would the Pac-12 target any of those schools to get to eight at the expense of the Mountain West Conference? The latest wave of conference realignment could just be getting started.
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