Football will pay the bills, but the new-look Pac-12’s identity should be defined on the hardwood.

After a two-year hiatus, the West Coast’s premier conference will return next fall, and while its ceiling on the football field is mostly limited due to the increasing gap between the power conferences and the rest of the country, there is an elite basketball conference hiding in the shadows.

After being left behind by the last round of conference realignment, Oregon State and Washington State bided their time and have successfully rebuilt the Pac-12 by adding five Mountain West schools in Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State before supplementing that core seven with Gonzaga as a non-football member and Texas State as a full member.

A Pac-12 logo is seen on the uniform of Washington State forward Jaylen Wells (0) during an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon State Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Corvallis, Ore. Washington State won 64-58. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

On the surface, it’s an underwhelming group of nine schools. From a football perspective, that’s true. At its best, the new-look Pac-12 will be competing with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) for the fifth and final automatic bid to the College Football Playoff, with no guarantee that the conference champion will get into the 12-team field.

From a basketball perspective, however, there’s an argument that the Pac-12 will be close to the level of the current Big East, still commonly grouped with the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC as a high-major hoops league.

Yes, the new Pac-12 will never be able to compete with the history and pageantry of the Big East, even if the version from the 1980s is long gone. 

UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) is pressured by St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins (23) and St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers (4) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

But this is about the future, and the Pac-12’s may be as bright as the Big East’s. Just look at this season where the Big East is projected to get three teams in the NCAA Tournament, per ESPN bracketology. Three teams in the new Pac-12 are projected to be in, as well.

Also, if you look at the last five years of March Madness, the two conferences would be nearly identical. The nine future Pac-12 schools have combined for 22 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2021, while the 11 current Big East schools have totaled 23. The Pac-12 teams have four Elite Eight appearances to the Big East’s three and each has two Final Four appearances. The one caveat is UConn’s two national championships, one of which came over San Diego State.

Gonzaga gives the Pac-12 a real linchpin to anchor the league, but the conference’s new media rights deal (projected between $6 million and $8 million annually) should be an increase for every new member and will give a bunch of programs already committed to basketball success more ammunition to keep their talented coaches and players around.

Gonzaga guard Adam Miller (23) holds a West Coast Conference regular-season championship trophy after the team won at least a share of the conference title after an NCAA college basketball game against Portland Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

This is only the beginning for what the Pac-12 could be, too. Rumors of expansion east with Memphis potentially being a target and obvious potential non-football additions in Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and San Francisco from the WCC would only raise the ceiling and strengthen the depth of the conference.

A 12-team league that sends four or five teams to the NCAA Tournament every March is conceivable and would easily put the Pac-12 on par with the Big East, and even above it some years.

It may never be the football power it once was, but the Pac-12’s status as the premier basketball conference on the West Coast may soon return. 

The list: Top 5 programs in new-look Pac-12

Gonzaga

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few talks with forward Graham Ike (15) while playing Oregon State during an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Corvallis, Ore. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen)

The addition of Gonzaga nearly 18 months ago changed everything for the new Pac-12. Even though the Bulldogs don’t have football and thus can’t be a full member, they will still get a full media rights share because their basketball brand is that valuable. Mark Few has taken the Zags from a relative unknown to a college hoops juggernaut in a quarter of a century and his program will benefit from a conference with a half dozen other programs committed to investing similarly.

San Diego State

San Diego State reacts after their win against Florida Atlantic in a Final Four college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Responsible for the Mountain West’s biggest basketball moment by making the 2023 national championship game, the Aztecs have what everyone else in the new Pac-12, outside of Gonzaga, is still chasing. SDSU has a revered, longtime coach in Brian Dutcher, who is likely nearing retirement but has the program in a great place with an awesome home-court environment fueled by a fan base committed to supporting a winning program.

Utah State

Utah State guard MJ Collins Jr. (2) celebrates after defeating Memphis after an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal via AP)

Speaking of good infrastructure for hoops success, Logan, Utah has quickly become a place where talented low-major coaches can go to raise their profile and get high-major jobs. The Aggies are on the verge of a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in six years, with four different head coaches leading them to March Madness this decade. The resources are strong, as is the home-court advantage at the Dee Glen Spectrum.

Washington State

Golden State Warriors and former Washington State guard Klay Thompson, right, sits courtside with school mascot Butch T. Cougar before an NCAA college basketball game between Washington State and Oregon State in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. Washington State retired Thompson’s jersey number during halftime of the game. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

If you were wondering which future Pac-12 program besides Gonzaga has more active alumni in the NBA, it’s Wazzu. The Cougars have sent four players to the NBA in the last three years alone to go with four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson and that’s enough for coach David Riley to continue building momentum in Pullman, which he’s done since arriving from Eastern Washington, where he won back-to-back Big Sky regular season championships before taking over at Wazzu.

Colorado State

Colorado State basketball head coach Ali Farokhmanesh calls out to players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UNLV Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

The Rams have a mix of everything the rest of the top five have, just on a slightly smaller scale. CSU is committed to continuing the success of the last few years (three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four seasons), has a rising star coach in Ali Farokhmanesh, a solid home environment at Moby Arena and three former players currently in the NBA. The Rams should continue to be a March contender in the Pac-12.

Mid-Major Minute

Denver sophomore guard Carson Johnson (20) wears the Pioneers’ alternate uniforms during a game earlier this season. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette)

Thanks to a 5-2 record in February, Denver finished with an 8-8 record in Summit League play, good for the program’s first .500 or better record in conference play since 2017-18. Tim Bergstraser’s first season with the Pioneers has been a massive success, with his team already winning 15 games, four more than last year’s total with the Summit League tournament in Sioux Falls still to come. Sophomore guard Carson Johnson has been the center of the success, leading the conference in scoring at 20.2 points per game with already the second-best single-season scoring mark in DU’s Division I history.

Upset of the Week

Central Florida 97, BYU 84

UCF guard George Beale Jr. (3) reacts after making a 3-point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Outside of the six teams in the Associated Press Top 25, there’s one other team in the Big 12 that is a virtual lock to make the NCAA Tournament and it’s Johnny Dawkins’ Central Florida squad. The former Duke star completely rebuilt his Knights roster last offseason and his new-look group is now 20-7 overall and 9-6 in Big 12 play after a dominant road win at BYU earlier this week, one that came without second-leading scorer Riley Kugel. Veteran point guard Themus Fulks led the way with 24 points in the win over AJ Dybantsa and the Cougars. 

Going Overseas

Colorado State guard Jalen Lake celebrates after a 3-point basket against Memphis during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Sticking with the Pac-12 theme, let’s spotlight someone who would’ve thrived in the new-look conference. Former Colorado State standout Jalen Lake, who became the first Rams player to appear in three different NCAA Tournaments last March, is having a successful first pro season in Europe. The four-year contributor at CSU is playing for Svendborg Rabbits in the top league in Denmark, averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game.