In an exciting bit of news, the Boise State Broncos will leave the Mountain West Conference to join the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.
The Broncos are a team that had not previously been in discussions with other conferences about moving despite a desire to do so. Boise State will now receive an opportunity to do so after making plenty of strides in the quality of the program and the school as well. While the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA must still approve of the move, it seems as though the Broncos will join Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State in the Pac-12.
Boise State Broncos Set to Join Pac-12 Conference For 2026-27 Season
In a shocking turn of events, the Pac-12 Conference officials revealed that applications for four Mountain West Conference programs had been accepted. The four programs would join the Pac-12 Conference for the 2026-27 season barring any setbacks from the NCAA or the Mountain West officials. The four programs were revealed to be Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State.
This past off-season, the Pac-12 saw their potential demise as all but Oregon State and Washington State exited the conference. The teams dispersed across the Big Ten, ACC, and the Big 12 Conferences effective immediately, and have had varied success through two games. However, the officials of the Pac-12 have been committed to keeping the historic conference alive, and now need just two more teams in order to properly do so.
Among the teams that are set to join is the Boise State football program, which has flown under the radar during expansion talks. While nearly every team was looking to leave their conference a season ago, the five-time Mountain West Conference Champions were not included in any conversations. Now, with a move to the Pac-12 pending, it could lead to more potential growth of the program and school.
What Led to the Departure For the Boise State Football Program?
A season ago when teams were aiming to exit the conference they played for in search of a major realignment, the Boise State football program was not included. Boise State is a program that took an interesting route to the Division-I FBS level and it perhaps has led to their delayed realignment move.
Boise State was originally founded as a community college in Boise, Idaho over 90 years ago and produced a successful football team. The Broncos won the ICAC National Championship in 1958, which is the championship game between the top two junior colleges. Following their win, the Broncos received stronger program interest and expanded into a four-year university in 1968, not becoming an FBS school until 1997.
The Broncos have only been an FBS school for a short time compared to other programs that were looking to move during the same time period. Unfortunately for the Broncos, the age of their program along with the academic ranks of the school led to other conferences shying away from adding Boise State. The Broncos rank as the 353rd college overall on the Forbes list of top colleges in the United States.
While the Pac-12 might have been the only conference willing to take on a younger and developing program and school, there is also more at stake for both sides. The Pac-12 was originally established in 1915 before going through a few name changes and nearly faced their death this off-season. For the Broncos to join such a historical conference and potentially keep them alive, offers plenty of exposure and a potential for both sides to continue to grow.
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