One of the most successful collegiate basketball programs in recent history will regularly be playing in Northern Colorado as the Gonzaga Bulldogs join Colorado State University in the Pac-12.
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Gonzaga, located in Spokane, Washington, is one of many schools announcing in the last month that they will be joining the Pac-12 Conference after 2025.
The Zags do not have a football team. However, they do bring two very successful men’s and women’s basketball programs to the conference.
“Going into the future, from a conference affiliation perspective, it is a big win for everybody,” said John Weber, athletic director for CSU.
CSU was among the first schools in the last month to announce they were ditching the Mountain West Conference in order to reform a newly designed Pac-12. Several other Mountain West programs joined CSU in the move including Boise State and San Diego State.
Weber said the addition of a powerhouse sports program into the Pac-12 only underscores how the reformed Pac-12 could become a strong athletics conference in the West.
“Having Gonzaga join the Pac-12, that is an opportunity to highlight what we are trying to achieve. When we look at the opportunity in the western half of the United States to build a conference of significance, this is an essential step in being able to achieve that,” Weber said.
Weber said he was optimistic the addition of Gonzaga to the Pac-12 will help them further secure more competitors, helping the conference reach the number of schools needed to compete.
“There are going to be plenty of institutions out there that will be interested in joining what we are building out here. … It is a great opportunity,” Weber said.
The Bulldogs are widely known for having a large following for their sports programs, specifically among basketball fans who will travel to watch games on the road. Weber said he looks forward to hosting the Zags annually at CSU.
“It will most certainly have an impact on Fort Collins and our attendance here at Colorado State. We are excited to host them,” Weber said.
CSU, SDSU, Utah State and Gonzaga are among the teams committing to the the PAC-12 who have had nationally-ranked men’s basketball programs in the last few seasons.
Weber said he looks forward to seeing the Rams compete with the growing conference, noting the ability to recruit is also improving through strengthened conference play.
“We are very clearly building a powerhouse,” Weber said. “Being able to add Gonzaga into that conference is already having impacts on our recruiting discussions. It is certainly an uptick for everyone involved.”
The reformed Pac-12 takes shape for the 2026-2027 school year, meaning the Zags will play their first basketball games in Moby Arena in late 2026, or the start of 2027.
