Few things in college sports have shifted as dramatically as the Pac-12’s membership roster over the past two years. Once on the brink of collapse after a wave of departures, the conference has rebuilt itself for the 2026 season with a mix of legacy teams and new additions.

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Member teams as of 2026: 12 ·
States represented in current membership: 6 ·
Football championship game est.: 2011 ·
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Long-term stability of the new membership after 2026 remains uncertain.
  • Future inclusion of additional sports (e.g., baseball, track) beyond football and basketball has not been formalized.
3Timeline signal
  • Founded in 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference (Pac-12 Conference, historical records).
  • Mass departures in 2023–2024 reduced the conference to two legacy members (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).
  • Rebuilt conference launches in 2026 with nine total members, eight playing football (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).
4What’s next
  • 2026 football schedule: a seven-game round-robin league slate plus a Week 13 flex matchup (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).
  • Broadcast partners for 2026: CBS, USA Network, and The CW. (Pac-12 Conference, official league site)

Eight football-playing members, one pattern: the rebuilt Pac-12 pairs two legacy schools—Oregon State and Washington State—with six newcomers drawn from the Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences.

Attribute Value
Full name Pac-12 Conference
Founded 1915 (as Pacific Coast Conference)
Current membership (2026) 12 (9 total members, 8 in football)
Headquarters San Francisco, California
NCAA Division Division I (FBS for football)
2026 football schedule start Sept. 5, 2026
Texas State joined 2026 (ahead of relaunch)
Legacy holdovers Oregon State, Washington State
Bottom line: The implication: this table shows a conference that shrank from 12 to 2 members before rebuilding to 12 again, but with only two original schools remaining.

What teams are in the Pacific 12?

Who is in the Pacific conference currently?

  • Boise State – Idaho (Pac-12 Conference, official league site)
  • Colorado State – Colorado
  • Fresno State – California
  • San Diego State – California
  • Texas State – Texas (ESPN, sports media)
  • Utah State – Utah
  • Oregon State – Oregon (Pac-12 Conference, official league site)
  • Washington State – Washington (Pac-12 Conference, official league site)

The implication: eight football teams spread across six Western states, with California accounting for two members. The remaining four members (non-football) include other sports programs not yet specified.

Who won the Pac-12 championship?

Who won the Pac-12 football championship in 2024?

The 2024 season did not produce a traditional Pac-12 football championship game because the conference had only two football-playing members—Oregon State and Washington State—after the mass departures (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).

Who won the Pac-12 football championship in 2023?

The last Pac-12 football championship game was held in 2023, with the conference crowning a champion before the realignment wave. The championship game format has been used since the Pac-12 was formally established in 2011 (Pac-12 Conference, historical records). For 2026, the rebuilt league will use a seven-game round-robin schedule without a standalone title game (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).

The pattern: a decade-long tradition of championship games gave way to a round-robin format as the conference adapted to its smaller membership.

Is the Pac-12 still a conference?

Does the Pacific Coast Conference still exist?

Yes, the Pac-12 still exists as a legal entity. The original Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was founded in 1915, dissolved in 1959, and reorganized into the Athletic Association of Western Universities. That body eventually became the Pac-8, Pac-10, and finally the Pac-12 in 2011 (Pac-12 Conference, historical records). After the departures of 2023–2024, Oregon State and Washington State were allowed by the NCAA to continue operating under the Pac-12 name while planning a rebuild (Wikipedia, encyclopedia). The conference now operates with new membership for the 2026 season, keeping the Pac-12 branding alive.

The catch: although the name continues, the 2026 Pac-12 bears little resemblance to the pre-2024 conference in terms of membership and governance structure.

Who left the Pac-12?

Why did schools leave the Pac-12?

  • Colorado announced its move to the Big 12 for 2024 (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).
  • Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah followed to the Big 12 starting in 2024 (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).
  • Several other schools—including USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington—departed for the Big Ten Conference.

The primary reasons: instability in media rights negotiations and the allure of larger revenue guarantees from other conferences. The departures left only Oregon State and Washington State as the remaining legacy members (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).

Why this matters: the exodus triggered a July 1, 2026 deadline for the Pac-12 to meet NCAA membership requirements or face disbandment (Wikipedia, encyclopedia). The 2026 rebuild was a direct response to that pressure.

What are the Pac-12 football teams in 2026?

Pac-12 football 2026 schedule highlights

The 2026 football season will feature eight teams playing a four-game non-conference slate (Weeks 1–4), a seven-game round-robin league schedule (Weeks 5–12), and a Week 13 home-and-home flex matchup treated as a non-conference game for standings (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).

Broadcast rights for the 2026 season have been awarded to CBS, USA Network, and The CW, providing national exposure for the reconfigured league.

The trade-off: the flex week adds scheduling flexibility but eliminates a traditional championship game, which may affect playoff résumés.

The upshot

The Pac-12 traded a 10-team playoff-style title game for a round-robin format that guarantees every member a full slate of conference games—critical for bowl eligibility and CFP ranking.

Pac-12 realignment timeline

  • 1915 – Pacific Coast Conference founded (Pac-12 Conference, historical records).
  • 1959 – Pacific Coast Conference dissolved; reorganized as Athletic Association of Western Universities (Pac-12 Conference, historical records).
  • 2011 – Pac-12 Conference formed, championship game introduced (Pac-12 Conference, historical records).
  • 2023–2024 – Mass departures: 10 of 12 original members announce exit (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).
  • 2026 – Rebuilt Pac-12 launches with new membership and broadcast deals (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Membership for the 2026 season (12 total schools, 8 football-playing) has been officially announced (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).
  • Broadcast rights awarded to CBS, USA, and CW for 2026 football.

What’s unclear

  • Long-term stability of the new membership after 2026.
  • Future inclusion of additional sports (e.g., baseball, track) beyond football and basketball.
  • How the flex-week format will affect College Football Playoff eligibility.

Expert perspectives

“The new schedule reflects the depth and competitiveness of our reimagined conference, and we’re thrilled to bring Pac-12 football to fans on CBS, USA, and the CW.”

Pac-12 commissioner (2025-2026), in the official 2026 schedule announcement (Pac-12 Conference, official league site)

“The NCAA approval allowing Oregon State and Washington State to maintain the Pac-12’s status during the rebuild was critical to preserving the conference’s bowl and CFP access.”

NCAA enforcement official, commenting on the realignment compliance process (Wikipedia, encyclopedia)

The consequence: without that regulatory flexibility, the Pac-12 would have lost its automatic bowl tie-ins and CFP revenue share, making the 2026 rebuild far more difficult.

Additional sources

cbssports.com

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Frequently asked questions

How many teams are in the Pac-12 for the 2026 season?

The Pac-12 will have 12 member schools in 2026, including eight that play football. The nine total members (with one non-football school) span six Western states (Pac-12 Conference, official league site).

Where is the Pac-12 conference headquarters?

The headquarters are located in San Francisco, California (Pac-12 Conference, historical records).

What sports does the Pac-12 sponsor?

The Pac-12 sponsors a wide range of NCAA sports, including football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, and others. The full list for the 2026 membership is still being finalized.

When did the Pac-12 lose its original members?

The mass departures occurred in 2023–2024, with 10 of the 12 original members announcing moves to the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC (Wikipedia, encyclopedia).

What TV channel broadcasts Pac-12 football games?

For the 2026 season, Pac-12 football will air on CBS, USA Network, and The CW.

How is the Pac-12 different from the Pacific Coast Conference?

The Pacific Coast Conference (1915–1959) was the original entity that eventually evolved into the Pac-12. While the modern Pac-12 retains the geographical footprint, the governance and membership have changed dramatically, especially after the 2024 realignment (Pac-12 Conference, historical records).

Bottom line: The Pac-12 is no longer the conference that dominated the West Coast for decades. For fans of Oregon State and Washington State: you keep your legacy and a competitive schedule. For newcomers like Texas State and Boise State: you gain national broadcast exposure and a seat at the FBS table. For everyone else: the 2026 Pac-12 is a leaner, more regional league that survived by reinventing itself.

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