Utah St. Accepted invitation to become 7th member of Pac-12 rebuild

Utah State has accepted an invitation to join the Pac-12 and become the seventh member of the newly formatted conference, sources told ESPN on Monday night.

The move comes amid a dizzying day of realignment that has seen Pac-12 interest in several AAC schools rebuffed, the Mountain West hoping to keep a commitment from core member Air Force, and UNLV’s decision following its commitment prior to the MWC. Uncertain. There were no formalities on the day.

Utah State’s offer and expected acceptance in the near future means it will be the fifth school in the Mountain West to join Oregon State and Washington State in the rebuilding Pac-12. Utah State will join Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State, who have announced they are moving to the league.

Utah State has a strong football program, winning a Mountain West championship in 2021. Utah State has reached 11 bowl games since 2011 and 16 bowl games in its history. It has been in the Mountain West since 2013.

Utah State is a prolific basketball school, as it has 24 men’s NCAA Tournament appearances in its history. This includes playing in four of the last five tournaments. (Those four occurred in six years, and the Aggies were 26-8 in 2020 when the pandemic canceled the tournament.)

Utah State’s offer came amid a busy day that saw the Pac-12 trying to secure its future. Utah State emerged late in the day as a candidate.

The withdrawal from the Mountain West leaves that league with seven schools, meaning it would have to make an addition to remain an official conference.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura contributed to this report.