Utah State is the fifth Mountain West team that is going to the Pac-12.
The Aggies will be joining Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Fresno State as a Mountain West program to go to the former power league. Here’s a look at what this means for USU and college football as a whole.
Reasoning For Utah State’s Pac-12 Move
Utah State could make millions of dollars more in its long-term future with the move to the Pac-12. But the decision could also prove to be risky.
This is an interesting time for the Pac-12, which is currently down to two teams: Oregon State and Washington State. The Pac-12 needs at least eight teams by 2026 to be deemed a legitimate conference by the NCAA, and Utah State makes it seven.
It’s unclear if these developments would make the Pac-12 an autonomous league once again, though. An autonomous conference – which the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC are – brings in more cash from the College Football Playoff and has a bigger say with NCAA decisions. Also, the CFP shrunk its number of automatic qualifying spots for league champions from six to five after the Pac-12 nearly dissolved, and it doesn’t appear like that number will go back up.
But, reportedly, Pac-12 leaders think the conference can strike a media deal worth more than the Mountain West’s, and money has been a key factor in conference realignment decisions recently.
When Is Utah State Joining The Pac-12?
USU will join the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026, so the Aggies will be in their new conference for the 2026 football season.
Mountain West Teams Going To The Pac-12
San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, and Fresno State were the first four teams from the Mountain West to announce they were going to the Pac-12. Then Utah State accepted an invite as well.
Gonzaga will also be going to the Pac-12 for all of the sports it participates in, which doesn’t include football.
“We are thrilled to welcome Utah State University to the Pac-12, as they join us on this exciting journey forward,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a press release. “With President Elizabeth Cantwell and Athletics Director Diana Sabau at the helm, Utah State brings invaluable strategic insights and leadership that will greatly benefit our conference and its members as well as a history of competitive excellence and success. Today marks another exciting step for the Pac-12 – and it’s just the beginning of phase two.”
Utah State’s Mountain West Buyout & Pac-12 Poaching Penalties
Utah State and every team leaving the Mountain West will have to pay the conference $17 million just for leaving the league with a minimum notice of one year. Any notice less than that amount of time would’ve been $34 million.
As part of the Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling agreement made last year, the MW will also be owed at least roughly $55 million in poaching penalties for the five teams going to the Pac-12.
One Mountain West team would’ve cost the Pac-12 $10 million, while two would’ve been $20.5 million. Five teams is $55 million, and six would be $67.5 million.
But money shouldn’t be an overwhelming obstacle in the long run. The former Pac-12 teams paid Washington State and Oregon State a $65 million settlement. The Pac-12 will also have at least $190 million in future revenue.
Pac-12 & Mountain West Scheduling Arrangement
The Pac-2, so Oregon State and Washington State, put together a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West for the 2024 season.
Mountain West teams scheduled seven games against conference opponents with another being against either OSU or WSU. But those two weren’t eligible for the Mountain West Championship.
The two schools were to pay the Mountain West $14 million for this deal, per Yahoo Sports.
Teams That Left The Pac-12
USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington went to the Big Ten. Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah are now in the Big 12. And Cal and Stanford are now competing in the ACC.
That leaves just Oregon State and Washington State in the Pac-12 for at least 2024 and 2025.
Pac-12 2025 Conference Realignment News
Texas State is the primary target to become the Pac-12’s eighth full-time member, according to a report from ESPN. If that invitation were to be extended, it seems likely Texas State would take it.
Texas State has long been rumored to be a candidate for Pac-12 expansion. It would give the conference a foothold in the Lone Star State, for starters.
It’s also a solid university by several metrics, and the football team has shown growth in the past couple years. In the two seasons that GJ Kinne has been the head coach, the Bobcats have gone 8-5 in both 2023 and 2024, ending both of those seasons with bowl victories.
La Tech could be looking at an invite from the Sun Belt in the near future and Conference USA would then look at Tarleton State, per the ESPN report, if Texas State were to leave for the Pac-12.
New Pac-12 Media Deal
The Pac-12’s impending media deal will reportedly pay schools between $4 million and $10 million per year, but that’s a wide range and much still needs to be sorted out.
Pac-12 teams are looking to earn more than the $4 million per team per year payout that came with the Mountain West media deal, according to ESPN. But it appears it will be below $10 million per year, which was pitched when the Pac-12 began looking for new members.
The financial details of the Pac-12’s future media deal has yet to be hammered out. However, it’s expected to involve multiple outlets.
The Pac-12, with two teams in 2025, will have games on the CW, ESPN, and CBS. But that may not be the case in 2026 and beyond.
UNLV, Air Force To Remain In The Mountain West
UNLV, Air Force, and the Mountain West’s remaining full-time members have reportedly recommitted to staying in the Mountain West despite interest from the Pac-12 and AAC.
Air Force was reportedly being considered as an addition for the AAC before Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State announced they were going anywhere.
The move would’ve made sense for the Falcons. They could have joined a league with Army and Navy and could have avoided the uncertainty that the Mountain West is looking at. Air Force also doesn’t play too far from Denver, which provides some benefits as well.
Instead, the Falcons as well as programs like UNLV and San Jose State seem to be a part of the Mountain West’s immediate future.
Hawaii recently announced it will become a full-time Mountain West member in 2026, giving the league the minimum eight members it needed, and now Northern Illinois will go to the Mountain West as well for 2026. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the conference won’t want more members in the near future.
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Pac-12 Media Deal
The Pac-12’s media deal with FOX and ESPN was reportedly worth $250 million per year and was going to expire this academic school year. The conference was seeking a new deal before teams decided to leave.
Mountain West Conference Media Deal
The Mountain West agreed to a $270 million media rights deal in 2020 with CBS and FOX, according to The Athletic. It would end after the 2025-26 season. Teams are scheduled to be paid $4 million per year.
How Long Has Utah State Been In The Mountain West?
Utah State joined the Mountain West in 2013, the same year San Jose State was added to the league.
Before that, Utah State was in the WAC from 2005 to 2012.
New College Football Playoff Format
Earning a bye in the College Football Playoff became much more difficult for Group of Five teams recently.
CFP executives unanimously voted to move to straight seeding for the 2025 College Football Playoff. That means the highest-ranked four teams will receive byes, not necessarily the highest-ranked conference champions as was the case before.
The five highest-ranked conference champions and the next-highest ranked seven teams will still make the College Football Playoff field. However, where they end up in the bracket could end up looking different.
Proponents of this rule change argue the highest-ranked teams should be rewarded. However, some argue for more incentive for teams to win their respective conferences. For example, Arizona State was on the bubble at No. 12 in the CFP rankings going into the Big 12 Championship last season. If the Sun Devils had lost that extra game, they might’ve fallen out of the CFP picture. SMU lost the ACC title game but squeezed into the CFP field with the last at-large bid.
This exact format has yet to be approved for the 2026 season, meaning the CFP could go back to the old format – which seems unlikely – or officials go in a new direction altogether.
It may be difficult for G5 teams to climb up to the fourth-highest spot. Generally teams from the Group of Five don’t start the season ranked very highly, and if any of those teams lose even once during conference play, they drop further in those rankings than if a P4 team were to lose in October. And it’s much harder for G5 teams to climb back up even if they do only have a loss or two during the regular season.
It’s not impossible for a great G5 team to rise up the rankings, especially with a tough non-conference slate, but the margin for error is very small.
