The PAC Podcast - Episode 1: The Relaunch

The PAC-12 is back! Today, July 1, 2026, is the official re-launch of the PAC-12 Conference and it's also the launch of The PAC Podcast, a show that will be all about the PAC-12 on the field, on the court and in the portal. From the Gulf to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico - if it happens in the PAC-12 you'll hear about it on The PAC Podcast. 

In this episode we'll introduce you to the nine schools that are now in the PAC-12, how we got here and where you'll be able to see the college football games this fall. So PAC it up, PAC it in, let us begin!

Transcript

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In the words of former wham lead singer George Michael, pack it up, pack it in, let us begin. Welcome to the PAC Podcast, the very first episode of the show All About the College Conference that Refused to Die. Every episode of this show is going to be 100% about the Pac-12, from the Gulf to the Pacific and from Canada to Mexico. If you are a fan of the Pac-12, then you're in the right place, and I thank you for joining me for this first episode. Today is the first official day of the new Pac-12, and it's an exciting day for all nine schools. I know as a Fresno State graduate and fan, it's a day I've been looking forward to for a long time, and I'm thrilled it has arrived. Let's meet the new Pac-12. First up, we want to start with the OGs, the Oregon State Beavers, and the Washington State Cougars. These are the two schools that have been in the Pac-12 since the 1960s and who kept the flame burning when everyone else abandoned the tradition and history that the Conference of Champions had built. Washington State is the oldest school in the Pac-12, having joined back in 1962. And Oregon State, second oldest, joining in 1964. Those two teams will remain the links to the past for the conference going forward. And since 2023, they've been the only two schools in the Pac-12. Now, if you don't know, late in 2023, uh, or I should say earlier in 2023, the most of the Pac-12 announced they were departing for quote-unquote greener pastures, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, God knows what. But that left just Oregon State and Washington State as Pac-12 schools going forward. And they sued the schools that left, saying that they, Oregon State and Washington State, should be the ones to control the conference assets going forward, including a war chest estimated at over $100 million. Well, late in 2023, the Beavers and Cougars won multiple court cases against those departing schools to resign to retain sole control of the Pac-12 war chest, allowing them to control the conference assets and future. And without those court victories, we would not be here today. Then in 2024, it was announced that six schools would be joining them. On September 12th, a simultaneous announcement from the Boise State Broncos, Colorado State Rams, Fresno State Bulldogs, and San Diego State Aztecs, all announcing plans to leave the Mountain West to join the Pac-12 effective today, July 1st, 2026. Just 12 days later, the Utah State Aggies announced they would also be leaving the Mountain West to join the Pac-12. And one week after that, the Gonzaga Bulldogs announced they would be leaving the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12 in all sports except for football, since they don't have a football team. Even still, with that announcement, which was exciting at the time, work remained. The separation from the Mountain West has been messy for all five schools that have departed. And some of that litigation may still be ongoing. As far as we know, we we don't have uh access to all the court information. But the important thing is they've left. They are now members of the Pac-12. And then the big piece that was needed finding an eighth football school, because if you're following along, five schools left the Mountain West, two schools remained from the Pac-12. That's only seven. You need at least eight to have a football conference per the NCAA rules. And that that search ended up taking until the last minute. On June 30th, 2025, just one day before the deadline, the Texas State Bobcats announced they would be leaving the Sunbelt Conference to join the Pac-12, and finally, the rebirth was set. Since then, it has been a year-long wait for the official relaunch this day, July 1st, 2026, the day the Pac-12 officially returns. A few pieces have fallen into place over the years since the Bobcats joined. Media partnerships have been announced, and if you're a Pac-12 fan in North America, the news is great. There are numerous TV partners that will be making the Pac-12 games a priority in 2026. Let's start with the big one, as far as I'm concerned, the USA Network. Yes, that is still a thing if you're an old cable and satellite subscriber. USA Network is still going and they are broadcasting college football games for the first time since 1986 and have committed to 22 regular season football games. The reason I started with them is because they the Pac-12 is their college football conference. And by that I mean they don't have partnerships with a lot of other college football conferences. I don't think any others, to be honest with you, at this point, maybe some sporadic games here and there. But the Pac-12 is their big college football conference. So they are going to have pregame, halftime, and post-game shows dedicated to Pac-12 broadcasts, which a lot of the other college networks or the uh national TV networks will not have because they have other partners they need to serve as well. But they have 22 regular season football games on the USA network. The CW, one of the nation's fastest growing sports networks, if you've been following sports in recent years, you've seen them adding uh properties year after year, NASCAR, baseball, a lot of college sports. They are going to be broadcasting 13 regular season football games, and they are available over the air from coast to coast. So all you need is an antenna to watch the CW. CBS Sports Network will be broadcasting 12 regular season football games this year, and CBS itself will broadcast three regular season games. In addition to those 50 broadcasts, if you add those up, that's 50 broadcasts right there. In addition to those, there will also be Pac-12 games on the Big Ten network, on ESPN platforms, including ESPN itself, but across their entire uh library of channels. Fox Sports, FS1, NBC, TNT, and HBO Max. All told, 63 of the 64 football games the Pac-12 plays this fall will be broadcast on national television. The only exception being Oregon State's week four game against UTEP, which will be on Mountain West Plus. As for college basketball and their broadcast schedule, I'll bring that to you in a future episode when it is announced and official. So today launches the new Pac-12, and I hope that you are as excited as I am. I hope the uh the Pac-12 fans, staff, and players for all nine schools are celebrating. I hope you are celebrating as well because this is a day worth celebrating. The relaunch of the Pac-12 is officially here. I certainly am. It's still surreal that Fresno State is a Pac-12 school now. That's going to take some time to get used to, might not sink in for real until I am in Pullman, Washington on October 3rd to see Fresno State's first ever Pac-12 conference game when they take on the Washington State Cougars in a road game in week one of the conference schedule. I plan on attending that one, and it's fitting because the second game I ever saw Fresno State play was against Washington State back in my freshman year of 1992. That game was a 39-37 classic between Trent Dilfer and Drew Bledsoe, and I'm hoping this year's edition is another instant classic. The first ever game I saw with Fresno State as a freshman was against Colorado State, who they will be playing in uh week 12 of this season. So I plan on seeing that one as well. Little little uh flashback to my past with Fresno State and some now Pac-12 rivals. But ultimately, this show is going to be for you, the Pac-12 fan. It's gonna focus on the Pac-12 and nothing else. I'm gonna cover football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, and softball. And I'm gonna try and have one episode per week. Most of all, though, I'm gonna treat the Pac-12 with the focus, the respect, and joy that it deserves. And I can promise that you are if you are looking for a show that will cover the league on the field, on the court, and in the portal, then you're in the right place. I've been doing sports podcasts for more than 20 years. I'm a recognized member of the media across Pac-12 campuses and broadcast networks, and I'm also a fan, obviously. Every episode I plan on bringing you the passion of a fan, the objectivity and professionalism of a member of the media, and as much of my humor, personality, and insights as you can stomach. As the relaunch of the Pac-Pod, as a relaunch of the Pac-12 approached, I looked for a show that would cover this league the way it deserves to be covered. And when I saw it didn't exist, I created it. So that's what this show is going to be. So welcome to the PAC Podcast and thank you for joining me. I hope you'll subscribe to either the podcast version or the YouTube channel. Both can be found by searching for the PAC Podcast. And in my next episode, I'm gonna start going school to school, uh looking at the features of each school and their history, what they bring to the Pac-12 on and off the field. I'll be going in alphabetical order, so I'm gonna be starting with the Boise State Broncos, and I hope to have that show posted on Sunday, July 5th, with weekly shows beginning every Sunday from then on as we get into the rest of the off season and then starting into college football season. But that's it for this episode. It's just an introduction. I just wanted to get this thing started on the official day that the Pac 12 relaunched. So I again I thank you very much for joining me. I hope you will join me again. But that's it for this episode. So pack it up, pack it in, we'll do it all again.