In the ever-changing college athletics landscape, the Pac-12 is planning a resurrection. Thursday, the former Power Five conference announced that it would be making four new additions as Mountain West Conference programs San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State are going to be welcomed in as new members of the league beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.

The Pac-12, which was decimated by last year's conference realignment, was left with just two schools — Washington State and Oregon State — leading to a scheduling agreement with the MWC. There had been some thought that the two conferences would eventually merge under one flag, but Yahoo! Sports' Ross Dellenger reported late Wednesday night that those conversations reached an impasse as Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould explored other options.

Thursday, the reports were made official with the Aztecs announcing their future move to a new conference.

“We are ecstatic to be joining the Pac-12 Conference,” SDSU athletic director John David Wicker said in a statement released by the school early Thursday morning. “While we are grateful to be a founding member of the Mountain West with 26 years of success in the conference, we are excited at what lies ahead with these new opportunities. We will continue to compete for conference championships on the field and to graduate leaders in the community."

SDSU's new conference will still need two more schools added to become recognized as an official FBS conference, but the Pac-12 will have a two-year grace period to make that happen.

“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Gould said. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”

San Diego State and the other three schools leaving the Mountain West will become official members of their new league on July 1, 2026.

“The move to the Pac-12 is a transformative moment for our entire university," SDSU president Adela de la Torre said. “Joining the Pac-12 opens the door to exciting partnerships and financial growth, all of which will contribute to the success of our student-athletes and the vitality of our university community. This is just the beginning -- we are poised to attract even more top-tier talent, compete at the highest national level and identify new opportunities that will benefit our One SDSU community and the San Diego region.”

SDSU was a charter member of the MWC when it began operations in January 1999, but a move to the Pac-12 signals another step up for the school and its athletics programs. Washington State and Oregon State have held onto the Pac-12 banner this season with the hopes of eventually building the league back up in a reshaped format.

The latest realignment will come at a price, however. Dellenger reported Wednesday evening that each of the MWC schools leaving for the Pac-12 will is contractually obligated to pay a $17 million exit fee plus an additional $10-12 million for each of the schools for breaking out of the scheduling agreement.

Up to this point, SDSU has earned 96 league titles during its time in the MWC across all the sports it participates in.