Gonzaga To Join Pac-12 For 2026 Season, Leave WCC

The Pac-12 is adding Gonzaga as a member in all sports programs beginning July 1, 2026, the school and conference announced Tuesday. The Bulldogs will also be exiting the West Coast Conference (WCC). Gonzaga will join the Pac-12 as its eighth member.

“Following discussions with Pac-12 member presidents, I believe membership will represent an opportunity to participate in building a conference that imagines new, forward-thinking ways to support student-athletes in a rapidly changing collegiate sports landscape,” Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh said.

“Partnerships with a new group of universities can also assist in our student recruitment and enrollment efforts, create opportunities for academic collaboration with new faculty colleagues, and attract more students who value an excellent education distinctively rooted in our Jesuit identity and tradition. I am particularly excited about the opportunities partnering with this group of institutions can offer our students, faculty, and staff for multi-institutional collaboration.”

The Pac-12 Conference and Gonzaga University are proud to announce their partnership, as the Bulldogs will join the conference effective July 1, 2026.
📰Press Release: https://t.co/N1MISXXxcE pic.twitter.com/NKmyyweKqH

— Gonzaga Athletics (@GonzagaBulldogs) October 1, 2024

Ten of 12 Pac-12 member schools have departed over the past year, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State behind. The conference managed to negotiate a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for Oregon State and Washington State in football this season. As part of the deal, the schools would serve as associate members of the WCC in basketball.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Kyle Bonagura, talks between the Pac-12 and Gonzaga intensified over the past three days. In a statement, West Coast Conference commissioner Stu Jackson said they had been notified of Gonzaga’s decision, saying Gonzaga had been a “valued member of the WCC for more than four decades.”

Pac-12 will add Gonzaga, but the school cannot count as the league’s eighth full-time member because it doesn’t have football

Although Gonzaga is the Pac-12’s eighth member, it will not count as the league’s eighth full-time member, as the school doesn’t have football. The Pac-12 still needs to add another member to reach minimum conference thresholds.

Gonzaga is set to join Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Washington State in the conference.

The Pac-12 has also had preliminary discussions with Grand Canyon and Saint Mary’s, both of which participated in in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament last year.

The last year of the Gonzaga football program was 1941.

The final game the Bulldogs played on the gridiron was against who else but new conference opponent, Washington State.

If the Pac-12 can come back to life, so too can Gonzaga football. https://t.co/KGDiR6XVyR pic.twitter.com/0ZEXiiIYVH

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) October 1, 2024

However, the Pac-12 is more focused on adding another football-playing school than basketball program. Gonzaga has been a member of the WCC since the 1989-90 season.

The Bulldogs are one of the top brands and most consistent winners in men’s college basketball. Gonzaga has reached the round of 16 of the men’s NCAA tournament nine consecutive times. The Bulldogs have also reached every men’s NCAA tournament since 1999.

Additionally, Gonzaga has one of the nation’s most respected men’s basketball coaches in Mark Few, who has been at the school since 2000. Under Few, the Bulldogs have reached the Final Four twice.