This is ‘Checkmate’

To label former San Diego State University football star Akbar Gbajabiamila an Aztec superfan grossly undersells his fanaticism for his alma mater. Host of “The Talk CBS,” “Good Morning Football” and “American Ninja Warrior,” the 2001 graduate works SDSU into most any conversation he can. He beams over the academic and athletic growth and boasts that the opportunities SDSU provides far outweigh those of its in-state rivals.

So you can imagine the jolt of excitement that raced through Gbajabiamila early on the morning of Sept. 12, when his “Good Morning Football” colleague Sherree Burruss leaned over on set at the NFL Network studio with breaking news: SDSU was joining the Pac-12 Conference. Gbajabiamila feverishly pulled out his phone and, for the first time, saw the unforgettable image: the familiar logo of the Pac-12 next to that of his beloved university

“We’ve always been a school that people overlooked, like some sort of underdog. That always irritated me,” he says. “To me, this validates who we are and what we’ve done. This legitimizes San Diego State as a West Coast force.”

The Aztecs will officially become a part of the Pac-12 in July 2026. They and fellow Mountain West Conference schools Boise State,  Colorado State and Fresno State will join Oregon State and Washington State. The conference must have eight football-playing schools at minimum to maintain its Football Bowl Subdivision status and qualify for the College Football Playoff.

SDSU President Adela de la Torre and JD Wicker, SDSU director of athletics, both say this is the perfect time for SDSU to make the move.

“Obviously we recognize that it’s not the same Pac-12, but having that brand was something that I preached from day one,” Wicker says. “It’s a recognizable, 108-year-old brand. You say ‘Pac-12’ in the Midwest or on the East Coast and people know what you’re talking about. That carries a ton of weight.”

It was no secret that the Pac-12 had long been the sought-after destination for SDSU athletics and the university itself. Over the years, SDSU put forth a detailed strategic plan to reduce student achievement gaps and attain the Carnegie Foundation’s highly competitive “R1” research status, built Snapdragon Stadium, and invested in the growth of its academic and athletic programs. In doing so, SDSU built an athletic and academic powerhouse that has won the most Mountain West Conference championships each of the last three years, had the highest combined football and men’s basketball winning percentage (.727) in the country since the fall of 2010, and received nearly $230 million in nationally competitive grants and awards for research, scholarship and creative activities. It all adds up to a university that saw a record 119,000 students apply during the most recent application window. “The Stanford of the South,” Gbajabiamila calls it.

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Stacey Nuveman Deniz understands what the Pac-12 name means as much as anyone. The SDSU head softball coach and reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year won a national championship as a catcher for UCLA in 1999. It was her dream to coach in the Pac-12. To be able to do it at the school she has loved for 16 years without having to uproot her life is “a dream come true. I guess I can have all the things,” she says with a laugh.

The day after the Pac-12 announcement, Nuveman Deniz and her staff hosted softball recruits for previously scheduled visits. Almost immediately she saw the impact of the Pac-12 news.

“They’re excited,” she says. “To bring that to them is phenomenal. There’s something special about being part of the Pac. There’s a power it carries, especially with athletes on the West Coast.”

While much of the buzz is around Aztec athletics, just as critical are the opportunities the new Pac-12 will bring to SDSU as a whole. Sonja Pruitt-Lord, SDSU’s interim vice provost, believes the move will lead to a boost in student excitement and engagement, research funding, community partnerships, and student and faculty recruiting.

“We have been working so hard the last 18 to 20 years to get San Diego State to a place its students and faculty and staff and alumni deserve,” says Pruitt-Lord, who joined the SDSU faculty in 2006. “We know how great we are and what we’re now offering, but being a part of the Pac-12 will give us the opportunity to market and tell our story on a national level.” 

During his playing days, Gbajabiamila remembers the vision of former Aztec football coach Ted Tollner, who scheduled opponents like USC, UCLA and Ohio State in an effort to build a belief that SDSU could be a big program.

“And now, when you think about all these chess pieces that were moved around to bring us to this moment, to even make the Pac-12 a possibility?” Gbajabiamilia says, “I think you have to say ‘checkmate.’”