CSU is joining a revamped and re-stocked Pac-12 Conference.
According to a report published late Wednesday night by Yahoo Sports, the long-standing collegiate league, which was ravaged by membership defections — including that of the CU Buffs — over the past 18 months, is moving forward with plans to expand.
The first wave of that expansion includes four of the top athletic brands from the Mountain West: CSU, Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State, will all four becoming members in 2026.
“We are taking control of our future at CSU by forming an alliance of six peer institutions who will serve as the foundation for a new era of the Pac-12,” CSU President Amy Parsons said. “This move elevates CSU in a way which benefits all our students, bolsters our core mission, and strengthens our reputation for academic and research excellence. CSU is honored to be among the universities asked to help carry on the history and tradition of the Pac-12 as a highly competitive conference with some of the nation’s leading research institutions.”
The Rams, whose football program hosts rival CU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown for the first time ever at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, are a founding member of the Mountain West Conference, a league which began operations in January 1999.
Such a move would associate CSU with what the athletic department has sought for decades — membership within a “power” conference.
“This moment has been a long time coming,” CSU authentic director John Weber said. “I know our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and fans are hungry for this move and are going to love what comes next as CSU charts a transformational new course as a member of the Pac-12.”
The Pac-12, which was founded in 1915, has historically been the most prestigious collegiate league west of the Central time zone. However, that prestige, and indeed its membership, were crippled by the defections of CU, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State to the Big 12; USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten; and Stanford and Cal to the ACC.
Washington State and Oregon State were left with the conference’s holdings, trademarks and media rights. Per Yahoo Sports, the remaining Pac-12 programs believe they can rebuild the brand with the likes of the Rams, Aztecs, Broncos and Bulldogs as peers.
They’re also not done looking at new members, as the NCAA requires a minimum of eight schools to qualify as an FBS conference. The report indicates membership for the Rams and their Mountain West fellows could be “finalized by the end of the week.”
CSU football plays at Oregon State on Oct. 5 as part of a scheduling alliance between the MW and the remains of the Pac-12, a partnership that Yahoo Sports reports will not continue for a second fall.
Mountain West members are contracted to pay a $17-million exit fee to leave the league.
The primary motivations for CSU would be the same reasons CU left the Pac-12 this past summer — money, prestige, potential access to the College Football Playoff, …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
