HomeSportsGonzaga would join the rebuilding Pac-12, while UTEP will move to the...

Gonzaga would join the rebuilding Pac-12, while UTEP will move to the Mountain West

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Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga will become the newest member of the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference, the school announced, as the Mountain West Conference moved quickly to secure its future by adding UTEP.

Gonzaga will move from the West Coast Conference, where it has dominated for most of the last quarter century, to a conference that was rebuilt around football but should be quite stout on the basketball court. Gonzaga becomes the eighth Pac-12 member, joining remaining Washington State and Oregon State, and fellow Mountain West newcomers Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State and Colorado State.

Gonzaga will join the conference in all its sports beginning July 1, 2026, as the Pac-12’s only private school to date.

“Today marks an exciting milestone for the Pac-12 as we welcome another outstanding institution with a rich history of success to our league,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould.

By adding Gonzaga, the Pac-12 still needs another football-playing member for CFP purposes. Gonzaga does not have a football program.

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The Mountain West is in the same position of still needing to add a football-playing member, even with the addition of UTEP. The Miners will leave Conference USA in early 2026.

“The addition of UTEP restores historic rivalries with several of our member institutions within the geographic footprint and brings valuable exposure to the great state of Texas,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “We welcome and look forward to competing against UTEP’s student-athletes.”

Both conferences are locked in a battle to secure their futures outside the Power Four of college sports, but the addition of Gonzaga gives the Pac-12 the clear advantage on the basketball court.

Last year, Washington State, Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State and Gonzaga all reached the NCAA tournament in men’s basketball, and two seasons ago San Diego State reached the national championship game.

Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford said discussions with the Pac-12 were progressing “in earnest” and the school formally applied for membership — it was approved unanimously.

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“We are excited to join a conference with great tradition and a commitment to innovation during this evolving time in collegiate athletics,” Standiford said.

The Pac-12 last month began restocking for a 2026 relaunch by acquiring the five Mountain West schools to join Washington State and Oregon State, the only two Pac-12 schools that remained after a dramatic round of reshuffling took effect this summer.

The Bulldogs have fared well in the WCC, reaching the NCAA Tournament every year since 1998, with two Final Four appearances and eight seasons with at least 30 wins.

The school has discussed joining the conference with the Big East in the past, and the Big 12 had discussed adding Gonzaga to its strong men’s basketball lineup, as it did with UConn earlier this year.

The Zags have also become a perennial tournament team in women’s basketball.

“After discussions with Pac-12 presidents, I believe membership will be an opportunity to participate in building a conference that creates new, progressive ways to support student-athletes in a rapidly changing collegiate sports landscape,” Gonzaga said President Thayne McCulloh. .

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UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference for nearly 40 years before joining Conference USA in 2005. By joining the Mountain West, the Miners will be reunited with previous conference foes such as Nevada, San Jose State, New Mexico and Wyoming.

“There is no doubt that this will be better for our student-athletes, our fans and for El Paso,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson. “We look forward to rekindling former rivalries and welcoming teams and their fans to El Paso.”

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