The Pac-12 is officially expanding. Five Mountain West schools—Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State—have submitted exit papers, signaling their move to the Pac-12 ahead of the 2026 season.
Pac-12 Expansion Confirmed: 5 Mountain West Schools Submit Exit Papers
The College Football Conferences are set for another massive shakeup, as 5 Mountain West Schools submit their exit papers, as Chris Vannini of The Athletic reported. They look set to move to the Pac-12 following a mass exodus.
According to these reports, the five Mountain West Schools set to shift to the Pac-12 are Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State ahead of the 2026 season.
5 Mountain West Schools Submit Exit Papers
As Chrix Vannini of The Athletic reported, 5 Mountain West Schools recently submitted their exit papers to switch to the Pac-12. The deadline is midnight today to avoid fees doubling.
Now officially official that Boise State (and presumably the other four schools) are leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026.
Today was the deadline for those schools to file their intent to depart so their MW exit fees didn’t double. https://t.co/KudV2eI70H
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) June 1, 2025
“Now officially official that Boise State (and presumably the other four schools) are leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026.” The College Football Journalist explained.
“Today was the deadline for those schools to file their intent to depart so their MW exit fees wouldn’t double.”
Last year’s Conference champions, Boise State, were the first to announce their intent to depart from the Mountain West, after Director of Athletics Jeremiah Dickey broke the news on his social media during the day.
We formally notified the Mountain West our intent to exit June 30, 2026. Grateful for our time in the MW and excited for our final season ahead. We are bar raisers…Opportunity requires being bold and never settling. New chapter…Always What’s Next! 😈🙏🏼#BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/1v2hjNHqQl
— Jeramiah Dickey (@JeramiahDickey) June 1, 2025
“We formally notified the Mountain West of our intent to exit June 30, 2026. Grateful for our time in the MW and excited for our final season ahead.” The Director explained that Boise State looks set for their final season in the Conference.
“We are bar raisers…Opportunity requires being bold and never settling. New chapter…Always What’s Next!”
Memphis, USF, UTSA & Tulane To Stay In The AAC
With the Pac-12 needing one more member to be officially considered a conference, it also made moves to add top AAC teams to the division before 2026.
In recent weeks, Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, and UTSA publicly announced a recommitment to the AAC, dealing a serious blow to the Pac-12’s expansion efforts.
The Pac-12 is currently trying to regain its status as an autonomous league so that it can have more power in NCAA decision-making.
This could also affect the CFP, which could go back to six automatic qualifying spots for conference championship winners, as that number decreased to five following the Pac-12 dropping to just two teams.
With USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington all going to the Big Ten, and Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah heading to the Big 12, Cal and Stanford departing for the ACC left the Pac-12 with just two teams.
KEEP READING: 2025 Pac-12 Football Schedule Released: Will Oregon State or Washington State Finish on Top?
Now, with this mass sweep of the Mountain West conference, the Pac-12 is looking to once more return to its former glory as an autonomous league ahead of the 2026 season, leaving the Mountain West reeling as a result of its move.
The Pac-12 is filing a lawsuit against the Mountain West over its poaching penalties. The number could go above $50 million, depending on how many schools end up making the switch from the Mountain West to the Conference.
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