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Earlier today, both the PAC-12 and Gonzaga University announced that the Bulldogs will be joining the conference in 2026. Action Network's Brett McMurphy originally reported this story last week, although numerous media outlets had denied that a deal had been finalized (at the time) despite conversations being held.
Gonzaga's move comes one week after Utah State opted to leave the Mountain West in favor of the PAC-12 in 2026. Gonzaga is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.
In addition to the PAC-12's recruitment of Gonzaga, the Mountain West also announced today that they will be adding UTEP (University of Texas, El Paso) to their conference in 2026. The Miners currently reside in the Conference USA.
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Initial rumors suggested that the PAC-12 was entertaining the idea of adding of only Gonzaga's basketball program to their conference (and no other sports). However, a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel and Kyle Bonagura has stated that all of Gonzaga's sports will make the move to the PAC-12 in 2026.
In order to reach FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) status, the PAC-12 must have eight member institutions that sponsor a football program. The Bulldogs, however, do not have a football program, further extending the PAC-12's search for another school that does.
At the time of writing, the conference holds seven members with football programs.
Following Utah State's decision to join the PAC-12 last week, questions arose as to whether or not the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and/or Air Force would potentially leave the Mountain West in favor of the PAC-12.
However, an announcement from last week has stated that both of those programs have recommitted to the Mountain West and are not expected to leave the conference.
The Mountain West's successful negotiations to retain both UNLV and Air Force gave the conference seven members who sponsor football. In an effort to reach the eight-member minimum required to earn FBS status, the Mountain West opted to recruit UTEP, thus giving the conference a presence in the state of Texas that they previously did not have.
Rumors (and only rumors) have been floated that the University of Connecticut (UConn) has been in conversations with the PAC-12 to join as only a football-only member.
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From a distance running perspective, adding a team like Gonzaga to the PAC-12 is huge. The Bulldog men have had national-caliber success on the grass, qualifying for multiple NCAA XC Championships in recent years. The Gonzaga men entered this season at TSR #25 in our preseason rankings and may have a decent chance of making it back to the national stage come November.
The Gonzaga women, meanwhile, have recently been headlined by star low-stick, Rosina Machu. However, a tremendous team effort at the Nuttycombe Invitational last weekend has primed the Bulldog women to qualify for this year's national meet and earn a spot in our cross country team rankings.
Future PAC-12 members such as Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State -- as well as Oregon State, who is already a member of the conference -- have each flashed moments of promise in recent years. Each of those programs have sent a team (men or women or both) to the NCAA XC Championships within the last five years.
When it comes to UTEP, the Miners have a rich history of middle and long distance success, once emerging as the supremely dominant men's cross country program of the 1970s and early 1980s. However, NCAA violations forced the Miners to vacate their 1983 men's team cross country national title.
Despite fading from national prevalence in cross country since then, UTEP has found major success in the middle distance events. Michael Saruni and Emmanuel Korir once headlined the NCAA over 800 meters with elite all-time marks. It should be noted that Saruni, the NCAA outdoor record holder over 800 meters, was recently banned by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya for a violation regarding evasion of testing.
UTEP's former coach, Paul Ereng, has since left the program and has joined Texas A&M as the Aggies' middle distance coach. With him came steeplechase All-American Victor Kibiego who was originally recruited and developed under Ereng at UTEP.