SDSU Aztecs officially join Pac-12: So now what?

July Fourth is annually celebrated as the birth of our country. July First, however, has its own special meaning. It marks the birth of a new era for San Diego State University athletics.

The Aztecs are now officially members of the Pac-12 Conference.

It’s nothing short of a transformative transition for the 100-old conference which welcomed seven schools from other conferences to boost its membership following the departure to new horizons of its most recognizable members.

USC and UCLA are both gone, so are Stanford, Washington, Cal-Berkeley, Oregon, Arizona State, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

Coming to the rescue from the Mountain West Conference besides SDSU are Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State. Also coming on board are Gonzaga and Texas State.

Gonzaga is joining for basketball only while the others are expected to field most NCAA Division I sports teams.

The Pac-12 had been whittled to just Oregon State and Washington State at one point following the mass exodus.

With eight football-playing, all-sports members in the new Pac-12 alignment, the conference meets the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision requirements as a recognized conference in its own right. The nine total full members inclusive of all other conference sports include men’s and women’s basketball.

San Diego State Director of Athletics John David Wicker called the July 1 entry date a “momentous day” for both the institution itself and the entire Aztec Nation.

“Entry into the Pac-12 ushers in the next great era of Aztec Athletics,” Wicker said in a university release. “Our coaches, staff and student-athletes are excited for the competitive opportunities that await us as we look to win Pac-12 championships.”

Will the departure of the Aztecs from the Mountain West Conference be something akin to parting is such sweet sorrow or will it have a truly meaningful impact? 

The long-term effect will tell the whole story but the short-term rewards will be certainly interesting to play out.

SDSU leaves the MWC with 106 league titles, the most in the history of the conference among sports the Aztecs competed in. The Atzecs claimed five championships in its final year in the MW, including women’s swimming and diving for a fifth consecutive season, women’s basketball (regular season), women’s tennis (regular season and tournament) and baseball (regular season). It was the fifth consecutive year the Aztecs had claimed at least five MWC titles.

Moving forward, SDSU will look to continue that success in the realigned Pac-12.

The birth of the restructured Pac-12 is to facilitate growth, exposure and value of its brand to its members, beginning with the 2026-27 season.

Gonzaga is a basketball powerhouse while Boise State (L.A. Bowl), SDSU (New Mexico Bowl), Fresno State (Arizona Bowl), Utah State and Washington State, (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) and Texas State (Armed Forces Bowl) all received football bowl bids to end the 2025 season.

SDSU finished in a four-way tie for the MWC regular season championship with a 6-2 conference record alongside UNLV, New Mexico and Boise State. The Aztecs finished their last MWC season with a 9-3 overall record to reverse the previous year’s 3-9 mark. Boise State defeated UNLV, 38-21, in the MWC championship game.

Colorado State qualified for the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament while Air Force accepted a bid to participate in the NIT and SDSU in the new Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament as the No. 4 seed.

Utah State defeated Colorado State to earn the MWC’s automatic bid in women;s volleyball.

Boise State won the 2025 MWC women’s soccer regular season title while Utah State won the MWC tournament title. The SDSU men’s competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

The new-look Pac-12 os looking to extend its legacy with the extension of television deals with CBS, the CW and USA Sports. Live-streaming and expanded packages are expected to be offered.

SDSU’s debut in Pac-12 sports will start Oct. 1 in women’s soccer against Boise State, Oct. 3, in football against Texas State, Oct. 7 in men’s soccer against Cal Poly and Oct. 8 in women’s volleyball against Oregon State.

Cal Poly joinged UC Riverside, UC San Diego and Cal Baptist as affiliate members to bolster the Pac-12’s reinstated conference alignment.

The reinstated Pac-12 women’s soccer alignment includes nine full members. An eight match round-robin schedule and first-ever conference championship tournament (top four teams) are on tap.

There are nine full members in women’s volleyball in the re-imagined conference lineup.

The 2026 SDSU football schedule features 12 games — eight Pac-12 contests and four non-conference tilts.

The Aztecs grid-iron schedule kicks off Sept. 5 with a home game against Portland State and follows with a Sept. 12 game at UCLA, Sept. 19 home contest against James Madison, Sept. 26 game at Toledo, Oct. 3 against visiting Texas State, Oct. 10 at Oregon State, Oct. 17 against visiting Fresno State, Oct. 24 at Colorado State, Oct. 31 against Washington State, Nov.14 against visiting Utah State, Nov. 21 at Boise State and Nov. 28 at Fresno State..

The Pac-12 championship game is scheduled Dec. 4 at the site of the higher-seeded opponent.

The Mountain West Conference isn’t exactly dead. It’s executed its own recruitment strategy. The conference will field 10 football-playing members for the upcoming 2026 season. Holdovers include Air Force Academy, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming. Newcomers include North Dakota State, University of Texas-El Paso and Northern Illinois.

College football notepad
First Saturday: The San Diego State University football team will host a public scrimmage Sarturday, Aug. 15, at Snapdragon Stadium. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. The scrimmage starts at 5:30 p.m. Limited concessions will be available.

Admission and parking are free but fans must claim tickets via https://am.ticketmaster.com/sdsu/buy/FirstSaturday. Giveaways will take place throughout the evening and an autograph session follows the scrimmage.