The Pac-12 Is Back: Here’s What It Reveals About the Cost of Watching Sports

It’s been said that Pac-12 fans are used to heartbreak. Despite regional and collegiate loyalties that kept bleary-eyed, After Dark denizens awake till dawn, these stalwart souls saw their beloved conference decimated by financial instability, lack of a lucrative media rights deal, and conference realignment. But all that is about to change.

Thanks to new broadcasting partnerships, the revitalized nine-school conference is alive, well, and watchable via multiple media outlets. A returning basketball tournament partnership with MGM Resorts in Las Vegas signals renewed commercial momentum, too. Fans will, however, need to keep on top of their viewing roster to make sense of it all.

Pac-12 started out as the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915. Without naming names (like maybe Larry Scott), this popular college athletic conference was rocked by poor decision making, lackluster media coverage, and ultimately the departure of 10 schools that flocked to more lucrative pastures.

By the time of Pac-12’s 100th birthday, the hobbled conference was trailing behind other college conferences in media rights revenue and popularity. Eventually, the last schools standing were Oregon State and Washington State, and the conference known for its late-night start times dialed itself down to threads.

Read more: How to Get Local Channels Without Cable

What a difference a year makes. Pac-12 now has a nine-school roster, some sweet new deals, and even a new look to match. As Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould put it when unveiling the league's new primary mark, “The new Pac-12 is truly where tradition meets transformation.” Indeed! But that transformation won’t be cheap for fans to enjoy.

The media deal generating the most excitement is between the CW network and ESPN. This dynamic media duo has joined forces to make the ESPN app the exclusive streaming destination for The CW’s full live sports events lineup. In 2026–27, that lineup includes 13 Pac-12 regular-season football games. Fans with access to network TV can watch these games for free over the air on The CW. That’s what I’ll be doing.

To watch games and replays on the ESPN app, you’ll need to pay for an ESPN Unlimited plan. ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99 a month, or $299.99 annually, through ESPN’s streaming service. Given Pacific Coast kickoff times, fans are expressing excitement about having unlimited access to the archives. But keep in mind that Pac-12 leagues play myriad sports all year round, not just during finite seasons. This kind of devotion doesn’t come cheap or lend itself to free streaming service trials.

ESPN Unlimited is also available bundled with Hulu and Disney+. I currently have ad-free Hulu on its own. Switching to the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited bundle (ad-free Hulu and Disney+, with ads on ESPN) runs $44.99 a month, or $539.88 annually, and folds in everything I'm already paying for, plus ESPN. Still, that won't nab me full Pac-12 coverage, only the 13 games airing on The CW. Like 43% of Americans surveyed for our 2026 Streaming Fatigue Report, I’m looking to reduce my monthly streaming service nut, not add to it. So this add-on is a big no thank you for me.

Pac-12 has also landed a tasty, long-term media rights deal with CBS. Fans who watch network TV will have access to three regular-season football games and three regular-season men’s basketball games. Fans will also get access to one championship game per sport. As part of this deal, the cable TV CBS Sports Network will air Pac-12 football and men’s basketball during the regular season. Live games will also air simultaneously on Paramount+.

The heaviest concentration of Pac-12 football and basketball coverage will be available on the USA Network. USA Sports announced that the network will air 22 football games, including home games from each football-playing Pac-12 school. All told, 80 live regular-season football games, plus men’s and women’s basketball games, will air on USA annually. You can watch Pac-12 on the USA Network with a traditional cable TV subscription or a live TV streaming service like Fubo, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and others. The USA Network is also available through Peacock.

Figuring out how, when, and where to watch Pac-12 football may make your head spin, but the good news is 100% of Pac-12’s 2026 home slate will be available to watch on national linear television.

Conference realignment sounded the early death knell for Pac-12. To keep you up-to-date, here’s the current list of the conference’s full-time member schools:

1. Boise State
2. Colorado State
3. Fresno State
4. Gonzaga
5. Oregon State
6. San Diego State
7. Texas State
8. Utah State
9. Washington State

In addition to football and basketball, men’s and women’s collegiate teams compete in a wide range of sports, including volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, and wrestling. Check your favorite schools to see if they’ll be broadcasting select games on their own dedicated websites or on YouTube. You never know.

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