Is UNLV Joining The Pac-12?

The revamped Pac-12 conference will have a whole new look in 2026 but will UNLV be part of the newly formed conferece?

Inglewood, CA, USA; UNLV Rebels interim head coach Del Aleander celebrates after defeating the California Golden Bears in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After losing key teams in recent years, the Pac-12 is looking to rebuild itself. They currently have eight programs signed up for the 2026-2027 season. Those programs are Colorado, Boise State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Washington State, Utah State, and Gonzaga. However, Gonzaga does not have a football team so the conference will have to sign on one more school with a football program by 2026. 

The UNLV Rebels look like the favorites to fill that slot at this point in time. It's far from a done deal, but there is a strong chance they join the Pac-12 along with a handful of their Mountain West Conference rivals. Everything makes logical sense when it comes to UNLV joining the new-look conference. They are an up-and-coming program on the rise coming from the Mountain West which looks to be a target they are poaching, and they are logistically in close proximity to the other schools joining or at least within reason. That will make everything easier when it comes to scheduling and cost. 

Breaking: The Pac-12 is officially adding Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State starting in 2026, the conference announced. pic.twitter.com/VPjK9OEncp

— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2024

It seems that the Pac-12 will be all in on UNLV despite their lack of long-term success as a football program, it may just be a matter of whether or not UNLV wants to join the Pac-12. They are currently dealing with financial issues that could force them to stay in the Mountain West to collect their upfront cash. However, it is also reasonable to believe that the Pac-12 would be a better financial decision long term. The decision may come down to how everything plays out with their financial woes over the coming months. Either way, we should know in fairly short period of time whether they are staying in the Mountain West or leaving for the Pac-12.  

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