The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of NCAA football competition. The conference currently consists of nine full-member institutions located in the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
The modern Pac-12 Conference formed after the disbanding of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the principal members of which founded the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) in 1959. The conference previously went by the names Big Five, Big Six, Pacific-8, and Pacific-10. The Pac-12 moniker was adopted in 2011 with the addition of Colorado and Utah.
Nicknamed the "Conference of Champions" (a phrase coined by former Washington State basketball coach George Raveling), the Pac-12 has won more NCAA national championships in team sports than any other conference in history. Washington's national title in women's rowing in 2017 was the 500th NCAA championship won by a Pac-12 school. The Pac-12 holds a 200-plus championship lead over the second-place conference.
Following the departure of ten members during the 2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment, the conference temporarily operated with Oregon State and Washington State as its only full members during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 academic years. Beginning with the 2026–27 year, the Pac-12 expanded to nine full members and nineteen sports with the additions of Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State. The conference also expanded its affiliate membership in baseball, men's soccer, men's wrestling, and women's gymnastics.
Member universities Full members
The Pac-12 currently has nine full member institutions. The conference was previously split into two divisions, the North Division and the South Division, for football only. On September 12, 2024, the conference announced it would be adding four new members, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State, on July 1, 2026. However, the conference needed to add at least two more football-playing members to be recognized by the NCAA as an FBS conference. On September 23, 2024, Utah State accepted an offer to join the league as its seventh member. This gave the Pac-12 the seven members needed to preserve its official "multisport" status, though one more football-sponsoring full member was needed to preserve FBS status. On September 30, 2024, the conference announced that Gonzaga, a non-football University, would be joining as a full member. In June 2025, it was reported that Texas State would announce its move to the Pac-12 on June 30, 2025, the last day before that school's exit fee from the Sun Belt Conference would have doubled from $5 million to $10 million. Texas State's arrival, announced that same day, marked the ninth full-time member for the Pac-12 and also the eighth and final football member required to preserve FBS status.
+ Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Median earnings Endowment Nickname Joined Colors Boise State University Boise, Idaho 1932 Public 26,670 $64,791 $162 Broncos 2026 California State University, Fresno Fresno, California 1911 23,986 $59,992 $255 Bulldogs Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado 1870 33,500 $67,911 $624 Rams Gonzaga University Spokane, Washington 1887 Catholic 7,306 $80,896 $452 Bulldogs Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon 1868 Public 35,622 $71,799 $1,010 Beavers 1915,1964 San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 39,241 $68,268 $460 Aztecs 2026 Texas State University San Marcos, Texas 1899 40,678 $58,786 $393 Bobcats Utah State University Logan, Utah 1888 28,063 $63,484 $615 Aggies Washington State University Pullman, Washington 1890 26,490 $73,467 $1,500 Cougars 1917,1962
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Affiliate members The Pac-12 has affiliate member institutions competing in baseball, men's soccer, men's wrestling, women's swimming & diving, and women's gymnastics.
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors Pac-12sport(s) Primaryconference United States Air Force Academy Air Force Academy, Colorado 1954 Military 4,124 Falcons 2026 Mountain West (MW) California Baptist University Riverside, California 1950 Baptist 11,491 Lancers 2026 Big West (BWC) California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California 1901 Public 22,485 Mustangs 1986 Big West (BWC) 2026 California State University, Bakersfield Bakersfield, California 1965 Public 9,787 Roadrunners 1987 Big West (BWC) Dallas Baptist University Dallas, Texas 1898 Baptist 4,201 Patriots 2026 Baseball Lone Star (LSC) Greeley, Colorado 1889 Public 9,067 Bears 2026 Big Sky (BSC) Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 1895 Public 15,504 Huskies 2026 Horizon North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota 1890 Public 11,952 Bison 2026 Summit Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah 1897 Public 15,033 Thunderbirds 2026 Big Sky (BSC) South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota 1881 Public 12,139 Jackrabbits 2026 Summit Little Rock, Arkansas 1927 Public 8,158 Trojans 2019 United (UAC) University of California, Riverside Riverside, California 1954 Public 26,809 Highlanders 2026 Big West (BWC) University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 1960 Public 42,968 Tritons 2026 Big West (BWC)
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Former full members No school had left the Pac-12 from its founding as the AAWU in 1959 until 2024, when 10 of its 12 schools left. Two members of the PCC, Idaho and Montana, were not invited to join the AAWU or its successors. Institution Location Founded Type Nickname Joined Left Colors Currentconference Missoula, Montana 1893 Public Grizzlies 1924 1950 Big Sky (BSC) Moscow, Idaho 1889 Public Vandals 1922 1959 Big Sky (BSC) Eugene, Oregon 1876 Public Ducks 1915 1959 Big Ten (B1G) 1964 2024 Seattle, Washington 1861 Public Huskies 1915 2024 Big Ten (B1G) Los Angeles, California 1880 Nonsectarian Trojans 1922 2024 Big Ten (B1G) Los Angeles, California 1881 Public Bruins 1928 2024 Big Ten (B1G) Tucson, Arizona 1885 Public Wildcats 1978 2024 Big 12 Tempe, Arizona 1885 Public Sun Devils 1978 2024 Big 12 Boulder, Colorado 1876 Public Buffaloes 2011 2024 Big 12 Salt Lake City, Utah 1850 Public Utes 2011 2024 Big 12 Berkeley, California 1868 Public Golden Bears 1915 2024 Atlantic Coast (ACC) Stanford, California 1891 Nonsectarian Cardinal 1918 2024 Atlantic Coast (ACC)
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Former affiliate members Institution Location Founded Type Nickname Joined Left Colors Pac-12sport(s) Primaryconference Currentconferencein formerPac-12 sport(s) Tucson, Arizona 1885 Public Wildcats 1965 1978 Big 12 Tempe, Arizona 1885 Public Sun Devils 1963 1978 Big 12 Boise State University Boise, Idaho 1932 Public Broncos 1986 2017 Pac-12 Davis, California 1905 Public Aggies 1992 2010 Mountain West(MW) 2023 2024 Big 12 Santa Barbara,California 1909 Public Gauchos 2010 2014 Big West (BWC) 1963 1966 Baseball 1975 1976 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo,California 1901 Public Mustangs 2010 2014 Big West (BWC) Fresno, California 1911 Public Bulldogs 1986 1991 Pac-12 2002 2004 California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, California 1957 Public Titans 1986 2011 Big West (BWC) Boulder, Colorado 1876 Public Buffaloes 1951 1980 Big 12 Eastern Washington University Cheney,Washington 1882 Public Eagles 1981 1990 Baseball Big Sky (BSC) Moscow, Idaho 1889 Public Vandals 1959 1964 Baseball Big Sky (BSC) Occidental College Los Angeles, California 1887 Secular Tigers 1942 1943 Baseball Southern Cal (SCIAC) Pepperdine University Malibu, California 1937 Churchesof Christ Waves 1942 1943 Baseball West Coast (WCC) Portland State University Portland, Oregon 1946 Public Vikings 1981 1998 Baseball Big Sky (BSC) 1998 2009 Portland, Oregon 1901 Catholic Pilots 1981 1995 Baseball West Coast (WCC) Saint Mary's College of California Moraga, California 1863 Catholic Gaels 1926 1943 Baseball West Coast (WCC) 1946 1950 San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 Public Aztecs 2023 2024 Pac-12 Big 12 San Francisco,California 1855 Catholic Dons 1930 1932 Baseball West Coast (WCC) 1942 1943 San Jose State University San Jose, California 1857 Public Spartans 1986 1988 Mountain West (MW) Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California 1851 Catholic Broncos 1926 1943 Baseball West Coast (WCC) 1946 1966 Salt Lake City, Utah 1850 Public Utes 1958 1976 Big 12 Utah State University Logan, Utah 1888 Public Aggies 1986 1989 Pac-12 Whittier College Whittier, California 1887 Secular Poets 1942 1943 Baseball Southern Cal (SCIAC)
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Membership timeline The Pac-12 claims the PCC's history as its own. Not only did it maintain the automatic bid from the Rose Bowl inherited from the PCC, but the eight largest schools in the old PCC all eventually joined the new league. However, the old PCC operated under a separate charter.
The Pac-12 is one of the founding members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), a conference organized to provide competition in non-revenue Olympic sports. All-Pac-12 members participate in at least one MPSF sport (men's and women's indoor track and field both actually have enough participating Pac-12 schools for the conference to sponsor a championship, but the Pac-12 has opted not to do so). For certain sports, the Pac-12 admits certain schools as associate members.
History
Pacific Coast Conference
The roots of the Pac-12 Conference go back to December 2, 1915, when the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was founded at the Imperial Hotel in Portland, Oregon, during the annual meeting of the Northwest Conference schools."Four Colleges Form Coast Conference at Very Secret Session". Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon). December 3, 1915. Charter members were the University of California (now University of California, Berkeley), University of Washington, University of Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). An official of Stanford University also attended the meeting but declined to join right away because, unlike the other schools, it was not going to sponsor a football team in the coming year and it was not willing to prohibit freshmen from competing in sports. The PCC began play in 1916.
One year later, Washington State College (now Washington State University) joined the league, followed by Stanford University in 1918.
In 1922, the PCC expanded to eight teams with the admission of USC and Idaho. Montana joined the Conference in 1924, and in 1928, the PCC grew to 10 members with the addition of UCLA.
For many years, the conference split into two divisions for basketball and baseball—a Southern Division comprising the four California schools and a Northern Division comprising the six schools in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1950, Montana departed to join the Mountain States Conference. The PCC continued as a nine-team league through June 1959.
AAWU (Big Five and Big Six)