Gonzaga joins the Pac-12

Gonzaga became the newest member of the rebuilding Pac-12 Conference Monday night. The Board of Directors for the conference voted to add the Zags for all sports starting in July 2026.

The Bulldogs bring a rich tradition of college basketball with them. Gonzaga has made the NCAA Tournament the last 25 years straight, so for the Pac-12 to add a team with this kind of credibility is a major get for the conference. The Zags have also made it to the Sweet 16 the last nine years in a row.

According to people in the know, the discussions between the Pac-12 and Gonzaga really picked up the last three or four days. When the invite was sent out on Monday afternoon, Gonzaga accepted, and the Board of Directors voted to formally accept the Zags into the rebuilding Pac-12 Conference.

The media value that Gonzaga brings is quite large from a basketball perspective. Gonzaga brings one of the most consistent brands in all of college basketball. The Zags also bring a ton of swag to the conference and that is due to one of the best college coaches in Head Coach Mark Few. Few is the model of consistency and culture building. Just having Mark Few in the conference brings instant name recognition to a conference that is in the middle of brand rebuilding.

Gonzaga is the eighth member in the Pac-12, but it does not count towards full time members. For a school to be considered full-time the school must have a football program. The Pac-12 must add one more school with a football program to reach the mandated thresholds by the NCAA.

Gonzaga will be joining the likes of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, Washington State, Utah State in July of 2026.

Needless to say, that Gonzaga moving to the Pac-12 is almost a death blow to the WCC. Where the WCC goes from here is a legit question. The Zags have been a member of that conference since the 1989-1990 season. I would not be surprised if St. Mary’s tries to move on from the WCC as well.

Would the Pac-12 be interested in St. Mary’s? Possibly. Getting the rival to Gonzaga in basketball would be great for the conference. Plus, it keeps that rivalry going which would also be great for the Pac-12.

What’s next for the Pac-12? They have to get that eighth full time member to become a conference the NCAA will recognize in terms of getting to the College Football Playoff.

Does the conference hunker down a little bit and use a wait and see attitude? I hope not. The wait and see attitude got the conference in this rebuild in the first place.

Do they approach Tulane and Memphis again? What about Sacramento State? Do they approach University of Hawaii?

I want them to keep being aggressive with finding schools that want to be part of the Pac-12 rebuild.