The Pac-12 has a new member after searching around the country for another school to add. According to insider Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, the Pac-12 is adding Gonzaga to its roster of schools.
Gonzaga is leaving the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12. Despite Gonzaga not having a football team, they will still receive full conference revenue share according to McMurphy.
Gonzaga leaving West Coast Conference to join Pac-12, source told @ActionNetworkHQ. Pac-12 still needs minimum of two football members by 2026, but Gonzaga, even w/out a football team, will receive a full conference revenue share in Pac-12, source said
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 23, 2024
Landing Gonzaga is massive for the Pac-12 conference, especially within the college basketball world. The Bulldogs have been one of the better and more consistent programs in college basketball over the last few decades.
While they haven’t been able to bring home a championship, the Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Championship game two different times in the last 10 seasons. They fell just short to the University of North Carolina in 2017 and to the University of Baylor in 2021.
This move to land in Gonzaga comes after news about the Pac-12 looking at other schools to bring into the mix. McMurphy also mentioned that the conference was looking into the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Utah State over the weekend.
“UNLV and Utah State are the top expansion targets for the Pac-12 if the league decides to add schools in its geographical footprint, sources told Action Network.”
Photo by David Becker/Getty Images
After the Pac-12 lost multiple teams at the start of the 2024-25 athletic season, the conference has been working hard to bring in more talent. The USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Oregon Ducks, and Washington Huskies all left for the Big Ten.
The Utah Utes, Colorado Buffalos, Arizona Wildcats, and Arizona State Sun Devils all left for the Big 12. Finally, the University of California Golden Bears and Stanford University Cardinal went to the ACC. This left the Pac-12 with just the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars.
With Gonzaga now in the mix, the Pac-12 has added in multiple teams over the last few weeks. The conference just brought in the Colorado State Rams, Fresno State Bulldogs, San Diego State Aztecs, and Boise State Broncos.
Nicknamed the “Conference of Champions”, the Pac-12 prides itself on being competitive in all aspects of its athletic prowess. The conference has won more NCAA titles in team sports than any other conference throughout history.
This move gives them more relevance moving forward and could just be the start of a new reality for the Pac-12.
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