Gonzaga will join the rebuilding Pac-12; UTEP goes to Mountain West

Tim Booth
| Associated Press

Gonzaga will become the latest member of the rebuilding Pac-12, the conference and school announced Tuesday, ending several years of talks with other leagues at a time when the Zags are trying to capitalize on their basketball success and recognizable brand.

“I think what we can bring to this conference is to improve the basketball opportunity for them, but what we get in return is a commitment that this conference really cares about basketball,” Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford said. “This is an opportunity for us to influence them and be an important partner in who they are and what they do.”

Also Tuesday, the Mountain West moved quickly to secure its future by adding UTEP.

Gonzaga will leave the West Coast Conference, of which it has been a member for more than 40 years and dominated for much of the last quarter-century. The Zags enter a conference that’s rebuilding around football, but they should be pretty strong on the basketball court.

Gonzaga will become the eighth Pac-12 member, joining laggards Washington State and Oregon State and newcomers Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State and Colorado State from the Mountain West.

Gonzaga will join the conference in all sports starting July 1, 2026, as the Pac-12’s only private college so far.

“Today represents 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. he said.

More: Seven Mountain West schools will remain connected

The addition of Gonzaga leaves the Pac-12 needing another football-playing member for the College Football Playoffs. Gonzaga does not have a football program.

“I think Gonzaga is truly viewed as an equal partner in the work of leading the Pac-12 going forward, and that’s important to us because we want to play a role in helping realize the vision and shape the direction of the conference,” Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh said.

Both conferences have been struggling to secure their futures outside of college sports’ Power Four, but the addition of Gonzaga gives the Pac-12 an advantage on the basketball court.

Last year, Washington State, Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State and Gonzaga made the NCAA Tournament, and two seasons ago San Diego State reached the national championship game.

Standiford said talks with the Pac-12 moved forward “in earnest” last weekend, and the school applied for membership Monday night. The application was accepted unanimously.

Standiford declined to go into detail about Gonzaga’s financial situation, but said: “This is arguably a better situation for us financially.”

“This is an opportunity for us to invest more directly in our student-athletes and create a stronger experience for them and potentially more,” he added.

The Pac-12 has begun restocking for a 2026 restart by catching five schools in the Mountain West last month, joining Washington State and Oregon State; They were the only two Pac-12 schools left after a dramatic round of realignment took effect this summer.

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

The school has discussed conference membership with the Big East in the past, and the Big 12 has discussed adding Gonzaga to its strong basketball roster, as it did with UConn earlier this year.

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

The Mountain West still needs to add another football-playing member despite the addition of UTEP. The Miners will leave Conference USA starting in 2026.

“The addition of UTEP reinvigorates historic rivalries with many of our member institutions within our geographic footprint and provides valuable visibility in the great state of Texas,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. he said. “We welcome and look forward to competing against UTEP student-athletes.”

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

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