Utah State has accepted an invite to affix the Pac-12 and change into the newly formatted convention’s seventh member, sources instructed ESPN on Monday night time.
The transfer comes amid a dizzying day of realignment that noticed the Pac-12’s curiosity in a handful of AAC colleges get rebuffed, the Mountain West anticipated to retain a dedication from key member Air Drive and UNLV’s choice change into unsure after its dedication to the MWC earlier within the day was not formalized.
Utah State’s reported acceptance would make it the fifth college from the Mountain West to affix Oregon State and Washington State within the rebuilding Pac-12. Utah State would be part of Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State, who’ve introduced they’ll the league.
Utah State has a stable soccer program, having received a Mountain West championship in 2021. Utah State has reached 11 bowl video games since 2011 and has 16 bowl appearances in its historical past. It has been within the Mountain West since 2013.
Utah State is also an completed basketball college, because it has 24 males’s NCAA event appearances in its historical past. That features appearances in 4 of the previous 5 tournaments. (These 4 befell over six years, and the Aggies have been 26-8 in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event.)
Utah State emerged as a candidate late in a busy day during which the Pac-12 tried to safe its future.
The departure from the Mountain West leaves that league with seven colleges, which implies it might want to make one addition to stay an official convention.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura contributed to this report.
