The Pac-12’s first wave of expansion involved bringing in four Mountain West programs – Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State – to join Washington State and Oregon State starting in 2026.
The league is looking to get to at least eight programs in order to be FBS eligible for the 2026 season, with sights set on marquee brands in the American conference like Memphis and Tulane.
However, a recent report from Brett McMurphy of Action Network indicated the conference could pivot and add two more Mountain West programs to stay in the same geographical footprint, citing UNLV and Utah State as the top targets.
UNLV is perhaps the most obvious remaining Mountain West program to join the Pac-12, but Utah State is a bit less known as a brand. However, there are plenty of reasons the Aggies make sense as a future Pac-12 squad:
The Pros
Utah State’s recent performance in the two revenue generating sports – football and men’s basketball – has been on a consistent upward trend the past half decade plus.
The football program has appeared in a bowl game every season since 2011 except 2016 (3-9) and 2020 (1-5). The program was ranked in the AP Poll in 2021 and 2018, and while they are off to an ugly 1-3 start this year the sudden firing of head coach Blake Anderson just before the year began didn’t exactly set the team up for success.
Meanwhile, the men’s basketball team has appeared in four of the past five NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the second round last year after getting ranked as high as No. 16 overall in the AP Poll. The upcoming 2024-25 season will be a third straight with a new coach, losing Ryan Odom to VCU after 2023 and only getting Danny Sprinkle for one season before he departed for Washington.
The football and men’s basketball success has spread to the rest of the programs as well, with the Aggies winning four Mountain West championships across all sports last year.
Utah State is also a large institution with roughly 27,000 students and nearly 200,000 alumni, putting it in line with other recent additions to the Pac-12.
The Cons
Utah State is located in Logan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City with a population of roughly 54,000. The media market for Utah State will include the Salt Lake metro area, which makes it look quite large, but that market is largely made up of Utah fans who aren’t as interested in the Aggies.
Overall, Utah State’s media footprint is not on the level of the other programs in the Pac-12 or being pursued by the Pac-12, and while getting back into the state of Utah is no doubt an appeal – Utah State is third in the state behind Utah and BYU in the pecking order.
Verdict
Utah State is pretty clearly behind the four already added Mountain West schools and UNLV on the Pac-12’s wish list. The Aggies are deservedly ahead of programs like Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming, but being located in a small market that borders a big city that supports another team is not ideal whatsoever.
The recent success in basketball and football is a promising sign the Aggies could sustain success with a move to the Pac-12, but there’s little doubt the conference would rather make things work with teams like Memphis, Tulane, or South Florida before continuing to poach from the Mountain West.