Pac-12 Conference facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pac-12 Conference

Formerly	Pacific Coast Conference (PCC, 1915–1959) Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU, 1959–1968) Pacific-8 (1968–1978) Pacific-10 (1978–2011)
Association	NCAA
Founded	1915; 110 years ago (1915) (as Pacific Coast Conference) 1959; 66 years ago (1959) (as AAWU)
Commissioner	Teresa Gould (since March 1, 2024)
Sports fielded	6 (19 in 2026) men's: 4 (8 in 2026) women's: 2 (11 in 2026)
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FBS
No. of teams	2 (9 in 2026)
Headquarters	San Ramon, California, U.S.
Region	Pacific Northwest
TV partner(s)	CBS Sports CW Sports ESPN
Streaming partner(s)	Paramount+ ESPN
Locations

The Pac-12 Conference is a group of universities in the Western United States whose sports teams play against each other. This kind of group is called a collegiate athletic conference. All the teams compete in Division I, which is the highest level of college sports organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The football teams play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the top level for college football.

The conference started in 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). It has changed its name several times, being called the Big Five, Big Six, Pacific-8, and Pacific-10. It became the Pac-12 in 2011 when Colorado and the Utah joined.

The Pac-12 is known as the "Conference of Champions" because its schools have won more NCAA national team championships than any other conference. In 2017, the conference celebrated its 500th NCAA championship.

However, the conference went through a big change. On August 2, 2024, ten of the twelve member schools left to join other conferences. For now, the Pac-12 has two members: Oregon State University and Washington State University. But it's growing again! In 2026, seven more schools will join, bringing the total to nine members and expanding the number of sports offered.

Member Universities

The Pac-12 currently has two main member schools. For many years, the conference was split into a North Division and a South Division for football, but this is no longer the case.

Current Full Members

Future Members

The Pac-12 announced in September 2024 that it would be adding new members. To be recognized by the NCAA as a top-level football conference, it needed at least eight football-playing schools. After several universities agreed to join, the Pac-12 successfully rebuilt itself. These schools will officially join on July 1, 2026.

Affiliate Members

Affiliate members are schools that join the conference for just one or two sports. The Pac-12 has three affiliate members that all compete in wrestling.

Former Members

Until 2024, no school had ever left the Pac-12 since it was formed in 1959. But in 2024, ten schools departed for other conferences.

History

The Pac-12 has a long and interesting history with many changes.

Early Years (1915–1959)

The conference began on December 2, 1915, as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). The first members were California, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State). Washington State and Stanford joined soon after. Over the next decade, USC, Idaho, Montana, and UCLA also joined.

However, in the 1950s, some schools were caught in "pay-for-play" scandals, where they were accused of paying their athletes. This led to the PCC breaking up in 1959.

A New Beginning (1959–1978)

In 1959, five of the former PCC schools—California, UCLA, USC, Washington, and Stanford—formed a new conference called the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU). It was also known as the Big Five. When Washington State joined in 1962, it became the Big Six.

Oregon and Oregon State rejoined in 1964. In 1968, the conference officially renamed itself the Pacific-8 Conference, or Pac-8.

Expansion and Stability (1978–2023)

The Pac-10 Conference logo, used before 2011.

In 1978, the conference added Arizona and Arizona State, becoming the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). For over 30 years, the Pac-10's membership stayed the same, which was rare for a major conference.

In 2011, Colorado and Utah joined, and the conference was renamed the Pac-12. At this time, the conference also created a North and South division for football and launched its own TV channel, the Pac-12 Network.

Major Changes (2023–Present)

In 2022, UCLA and USC announced they would leave for the Big Ten Conference in 2024. This was a huge shock and made it difficult for the Pac-12 to get a new TV deal.

The situation became worse in the summer of 2023. Colorado announced it was leaving to go back to the Big 12 Conference. A week later, on August 4, 2023, Oregon and Washington also left for the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah joined the Big 12. Finally, on September 1, California and Stanford announced they were moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

This left only two schools: Oregon State and Washington State. People started calling them the "Pac-2." The two schools went to court to gain control of the conference and its assets, and they won. They began a plan to rebuild the conference.

By working with other conferences for scheduling, they kept the Pac-12 alive. In September 2024, they announced that seven new schools would join in 2026, saving the conference and ensuring it could continue as a top-level league.

Championships

NCAA National Championship trophies and rings won by UCLA teams when they were a member of the conference.

The Pac-12 is famous for its success in a wide variety of sports.

National Championships

Schools in the Pac-12 have won more NCAA team championships than any other conference in the United States. The totals below are for the two current members.

Note: These totals do not include football championships, which the NCAA does not officially award at the highest level.

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports in the Pac-12.

Rivalries

College rivalries are a big part of what makes football exciting. Even though many teams have left, the rivalries between the remaining and former members are still important to fans.

• Oregon vs. Oregon State: This rivalry is often called the "Civil War."
• Washington vs. Washington State: This game is known as the Apple Cup, and the winner gets a special trophy.

Bowl Games

At the end of the season, successful football teams are invited to play in special postseason games called bowl games. The Pac-12 has agreements with several major bowls, including the famous Rose Bowl Game.

Men's Basketball

The Pac-12 has a rich history in men's basketball, with several teams winning national championships. UCLA is one of the most successful programs in college basketball history, with 11 NCAA titles.

As members of the conference, five different schools have won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:

• UCLA (11 times)
• Arizona (1997)
• California (1959)
• Oregon (1939)
• Stanford (1942)

Sponsored Sports

The Pac-12 Conference supports competition in many different sports for men and women. Currently, it sponsors six sports. In 2026, when the new schools join, this will grow to 19 sports.

See also

In Spanish: Pacific-12 Conference para niños