what happened to the pac 12

The Pac-12 Conference essentially disbanded in 2024 when 10 of its 12 members left for other conferences. The major departures included USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon going to the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah joining the Big 12; and Stanford and Cal moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Oregon State and Washington State were left as the only two remaining members, continuing to operate under the Pac-12 name but unofficially known as the "Pac-2" through the 2025-26 academic year. These two schools joined other conferences as affiliates for non-football sports and formed a football alliance with the Mountain West Conference for the 2024 season. The Pac-12's collapse was driven by factors such as lack of a long- term TV rights deal, declining football performance, member schools' departures, and the challenges of modern college sports dynamics, including media deals and realignment. The league also became embroiled in lawsuits over "poaching fees" related to the movement of teams to other conferences. Efforts have been made to rebuild the conference by adding new members like Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah State, and San Diego State for the 2026 season, but the Pac-12 is no longer the prominent autonomous Power Five conference it once was. The conference's future remains uncertain, operating mostly with a significantly reduced membership and ongoing legal and financial challenges.