12 reasons Gonzaga fans should be excited about the Pac-12

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are officially members of the Pac-12 conference, a massive shift for a program that was in the WCC for nearly half a century.

While the WCC was kind to Gonzaga, the new Pac-12 provides plenty of substantial benefits that the West Coast Conference could not – including more financial security, brand exposure across linear TV stations, and a deeper, stronger group of athletic programs in multiple sports.

With Gonzaga’s move to the Pac-12 becoming official on Wednesday, we look at 12 reasons fans should be excited about the Zags new conference affiliation:

1. Increased revenue for NIL

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Davis Fogle. | Photo by Lane Mathews

While the exact figures are unknown, it is undeniable that Gonzaga is getting a bigger annual payout from the Pac-12 media deal than they were in the WCC. Estimates range from $7-11M annually, and because Gonzaga is a full-share member, they will get the same payout from the media rights deal as everyone else in the league.

That, plus any income from NCAA Tournament units, will give Gonzaga a healthy war chest of finances to spend on NIL – and gives them a sizable advantage over the rest of the Pac-12 schools, who will spend most of that money on their football programs.

2. Deeper basketball conference (with fewer bottom feeders)

The Pac-12 has just nine basketball-playing members, but the top 3-4 teams annually will almost certainly finish higher than where the top 3-4 WCC teams finished regularly.

Last year, the fourth-highest rated team in the WCC at KenPom, Pacific, finished 112th, while the fourth highest among Pac-12 schools, Boise State, finished 59th.

Beyond that, the WCC frequently has 2-3 teams outside KenPom’s top 250 every year, which creates trap games and matchups that do nothing to help the NCAA Tournament resume. Texas State was No. 246 at KenPom last year, but the next lowest team in the new Pac-12 was Washington State at No. 140. If the Bobcats can improve, this league will have no real major drop-offs, a nice change for Gonzaga.

3. Added exposure on linear TV (and no ESPN!)

Gonzaga will have basketball games spread out among CBS, CBS Sports, The CW, and USA Network this upcoming season. While it doesn’t carry the same cache as ESPN or FOX SPORTS, this deal will put Gonzaga games in nearly every home in America on linear TV channels – which will only help with brand exposure.

Plus, ESPN’s frustrating setup would often result in Gonzaga games starting on a different channel, whereas CBS, CW, and USA Network shouldn’t have the same issue.

4. Rivalry with San Diego State

Dec 29, 2023; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike, left and San Diego State Aztecs forward Jaedon LeDee (13) | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

San Diego State is one of the very few teams to beat Gonzaga more than once at the McCarthey Athletic Center, and as two of the best teams on the West Coast this rivalry should instantly develop into one of the fiercest in the entire sport.

While losing the annual games against Saint Mary’s is sad, SDSU and Gonzaga will more than make up for that loss with heated, physical battles 2-3 times per year.

5. Bigger venue for conference tournament, same beneficial structure

The Pac-12 tournament will be held in Las Vegas, but instead of playing at the Orleans Arena, the games will be at MGM Garden Grand – a bigger and frankly nicer venue for this league.

Gonzaga will also get rewarded for finishing top two in the regular season, with the conference adopting a tournament format that sends those two teams straight to the semifinals – much like the structure in the WCC over the past few years.

6. Chance to play Leon Rice and Boise State

Leon Rice spent a decade next to Mark Few as an assistant coach at Gonzaga, leaving to take over at Boise State in 2010. He’s been far and away the most successful coach in program history, yet he and Few have refused to play each other…until now.

These matchups should immediately provide intrigue with the two longtime friends finally squaring off – and with very different coaching styles, it will be an interesting chess match between the Zags and Broncos.

7. Better league for women’s basketball

Gonzaga Bullldogs Allie Turner (11) and Lauren Whittaker (33). | Photo by Lane Mathews

The WCC was never very good for Gonzaga’s women’s team, especially once BYU departed for the Big 12. The temporary addition of Oregon State helped fuel a rivalry between the Zags and Beavers, which will carry over into the new Pac-12.

Gonzaga and Oregon State will be joined by two strong programs in Colorado State and San Diego State, immediately making this a much better league for Lisa Fortier’s program than the WCC was.

8. And a better league for baseball

While the WCC was always strong in baseball, there’s little doubt the move to the Pac-12 will help Gonzaga. Oregon State alone is such a powerhouse program, while San Diego State, Texas State, and Washington State were very good last year as well.

Factor in the addition of affiliate member Dallas Baptist – a longtime power program – and you have a league that should be better than the WCC and further strengthens Gonzaga’s program.

9. Regional rivalry with Washington State will grow

Washington State Cougars head coach David Riley. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Gonzaga and Washington State sit roughly 75 miles away from each other in the inland northwest and play each other in nearly every sport. A long gap in men’s basketball was finally fixed with WSU’s temporary placement in the WCC, and those games will continue in the new Pac-12.

Washington State hasn’t been impressive under coach David Riley, but the regional aspect of this rivalry will continue in all sports – and is a good thing for fans in Eastern Washington.

10. More NCAA Tournament units (and a nice cut for Gonzaga)

Gonzaga will get a hefty share of the Pac-12’s NCAA Tournament units – assuming they do well in March – and that will lead to more NIL money for the program. The WCC gave Gonzaga a big cut, but it was from a small pie since it was rare for more than one other conference team to even make the Big Dance.

The Pac-12 should get 2-3 teams in the expanded 76-team field each year and could push for 4-5 in good years. That leads to more money for Gonzaga, and that is crucial in the modern era of college athletics.

11. Bigger and better arenas for road trips

Gonzaga doesn’t have to go play in any more ‘high school’ gyms. No more trips to the furnace that is UCU Pavilion at Saint Mary’s, or the tiny Firestone Fieldhouse at Pepperdine, or the unsightly Gersten Pavilion at LMU.

Most of the new Pac-12 venues seat over 8,000, and they are in buildings that are renovated and far nicer to play in than what Gonzaga dealt with in the WCC. With the Zags representing the marquee men’s basketball brand, expect packed houses at every road game – with crowds that will dwarf pretty much every WCC team due to arena size alone.

12. A conference that respects Gonzaga’s brand

Gonzaga shopped around for a new conference many times before ultimately accepting an invitation to the Pac-12 back in October of 2024. While the Big 12 and Big East had other hurdles that were hard to overcome, the biggest thing that Zag fans should feel happy about with the Pac-12 is how much they respect what Gonzaga brings to the league.

It’s not just getting the full revenue from the media rights deal – although that is absolutely part of it – but it’s the recognition that a non-football school can add real, significant value to an otherwise strong conference.

The ‘old’ Pac-12 was far too snooty to look at a school like Gonzaga – or Boise State, San Diego State, and BYU for that matter – but this new league welcomed the Zags with open arms, and that is something to really celebrate.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as 12 reasons Gonzaga fans should be excited about the Pac-12.

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