Boise State is among 4 schools joining the Pac-12 for the 2026-27 season

Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State will join the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year, they announced Thursday.

The Pac-12 Board of Directors unanimously approved the applications of four Mountain West schools, which will join the conference’s two remaining schools, Oregon State and Washington State, after the league collapses in the summer of 2023.

“For more than a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and advancement to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am grateful to our Board for their efforts in welcoming Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and an exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference is beginning at San Diego State University.”

Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez released a statement late Wednesday to respond to reports that four schools were leaving the conference.

“The Mountain West Conference is aware of media reports regarding the possible departure of several of our members, and we will have more to say in the coming days,” Nevarez said. “All members will be held under conference bylaws and policies if they elect to withdraw. If they admit Mountain West members, scheduling agreement requirements will apply to the Pac-12. Our board of directors is meeting to determine our next steps. The Mountain West is a It has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years to come.”

Schools departing from the Mountain West bylaw would have to pay an exit fee of about $18 million with two years’ notice, which the four schools would pay, a source said. (That number will rise to $36 million with one year’s notice.)

The Pac-12 is expected to be in a position to help schools with exit fees, in part, as members hold on to media-rights distribution fees and other conference assets. The conference will be hit with a $43 million poaching fee, as outlined in this year’s in-conference deal that results in Oregon State and Washington State playing six Mountain West opponents.

“We are excited to join the Pac-12 Conference,” San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker said. “While we are grateful to be a founding member of the Mountain West with 26 years of success in the conference, we are excited about what lies ahead with these new opportunities.”

The 6 members will collaborate to decide which schools to target for further expansion, as the conference still needs to add two more schools to reach the NCAA minimum requirement. The conference is in the first year of a two-year grace period provided by NCAA bylaws to remain below the minimum in the event of an exit.

It’s unclear how many schools will remain in the new-look conference by 2026.