A mass exodus of 10 schools in 15 months left the Pac-12 in tatters, dimming the future of a conference that was once the proud home of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Cheryl Miller, Tiger Woods, Jackie Robinson, Lisa Leslie, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and many more.

League brass and the two remaining schools worked behind the scenes to pull the conference out of a death spiral and now, more than four years since the first two schools left, the Pac-12 is back as something of a startup.

“We’re literally launching a new league,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said. “We’ve been doing all the things that are already established in a traditional conference, but we wound ours down. So now we’re winding it back up and it’s a fun time.”

The new version of this venerable old conference officially launched on July 1, when seven new members joined Oregon State and Washington State. The soccer, volleyball and cross-country seasons kicked off last month.

Next gen Pac-12 kicks off in full force this week with the start of the football season.

Newcomer Fresno State got things started at No. 14 USC on Friday night and the opening weekend is capped by Washington State’s Apple Cup rivalry game against former Pac-12 member No. 17 Washington on Sunday.

“It’s really exciting,” said Kirby Moore, the first-year Washington State coach and Washington state native. “Very few times do you get to be a part of history and be the first in the Pac-12 Conference coming back together.”

The once-powerful conference jokingly became the “Pac-2,” but no one with remaining ties to the league was laughing as staff were laid off and the future looked bleak.

Within a few months, the conference began showing signs of life.

The Pac-12 worked out a deal for Oregon State and Washington State to play Mountain West Conference schools for the 2024 season, with deals for other sports in separate scheduling agreements. Behind the scenes, the league was working on a re-expansion.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State became the first new members in late 2024 after bolting the Mountain West. Utah State joined the Pac-12 not long after that and powerhouse Gonzaga gave the league a higher national profile by joining as a basketball-only member.

Texas State’s addition in 2025 was the final piece, giving the conference an FBS-mandated eight football schools.

The Pac-12 and Mountain West became embroiled in legal wrangling over “poaching” fees and three of the conference’s new members filed a separate lawsuit over exit fees from the Mountain West. Both lawsuits were settled earlier this year.

Gould and the Pac-12 also had to negotiate new media rights deals, a massive stumbling block under previous commissioners that, in large part, led to the exodus to other leagues. The Pac-12 worked that out by negotiating deals with CBS, USA Network and The CW, ensuring all its football games and many basketball games will be on linear TV — meaning no more fumbling through the channels to find “Pac-12 After Dark.”

The broadcasts will feature coaches and players wearing microphones during games, access to the replay room for in-game officiating reviews and public statements issued by the league on key officiating calls.

The Pac-12 spent four years searching for solutions to prevent the conference’s extinction.

The result is an old conference with a new look and feel.