Momentum for a Momentous Switch
CSU Athletics enters Pac-12 with positive swing
Mike Brohard
The move was going to be made regardless. The opportunity to join the rebuilt Pac-12 was too good to pass up, all things considered. An abundance of positives.
But the build from the initial announcement a change was forthcoming to putting the key into the door has been constant, leaving Colorado State Director of Athletics John Weber feeling the timing couldn’t be more perfect for those in Fort Collins.
“Without question. If you look at what we've done over the past couple of years – a football team in a bowl game, championships for men's and women's basketball and for volleyball; we’re one of two schools in the entire country which achieved that. We’re No. 18 in the country in number of wins across those four ticketed sports.
“So without question we're going in there with momentum. Championships in our track program. When you look around, we're doing extremely well at a very, very critical time for the university and we have to continue to build that momentum.”
One of the key members in building the Mountain West, Colorado State now has the opportunity to reshape the Pac-12. A quarter of a century there, the Rams won 62 conference championships, with more than a quarter of the total since 2020, a period of time where 11 CSU squads made appearances at the NCAA championships.
In the past two calendars, five programs have reached NCAA national competitions, collecting 10 conference titles. Mya Lesnar won a pair of national championships, one of 12 student-athletes who have earned 19 All-America honors.
It’s not just in competition. It’s in the stands, where six of the top 10 crowds in CSU football history have attended a game – including the top two, with the four ticketed sports establishing combined attendance records. Men’s basketball has made a habit out of getting 5,000-plus to games the past three seasons, a first since 1995-98. Women’s basketball is averaging better than 2,000 per game each of the past three seasons, a first since Becky Hammon roamed the floor and volleyball finished in the top 10 nationally in attendance.
The Path to the Pac received a major boost this May on Colorado State’s annual day of giving. Never before had the university as a whole raised $1 million. Athletics reached $1.5 in donations on a single day.
It tells Weber he’s not the only one excited and ready to do the work.
“Loud and clear. Two years ago, the very first day of giving that I was a part of, that May, we did $67,000. That was a record for athletics,” he said. “We did $67,000 and we were the biggest department on campus for that for that day of giving as well. So just the energy around the last couple of years, our ascension, the move to the Pac-12, it's all tied together without a doubt, and people are voting with their feet, too, in terms of crowd size.”
The feet moving fastest may be those on the basketball court, as both coaches are excited about the league being built, each noting the addition of Gonzaga provides punch for both genders.
The Bulldogs swept conference titles last year, regular season and tournament. Utah State did it for the men in the Mountain West in 2025-26, while on the women’s side, San Diego State (regular season) and Colorado State (tournament) both tout trophies.
These are great things. Let's keep pushing this. We've reached a point, but we can be so much greater.John Weber
“It is going to be an incredible basketball league. You've got really good teams that are riding some momentum from last season,” CSU women’s coach Ryun Williams said. “You've got coaches, really good coaches in that league. The fact that we played the top of that league and had good success, we couldn't be more excited.”
His Rams beat Gonzaga in their place – which few teams do. They’ve also beaten Oregon State on the road, and he fully embraces the notion the league will be tougher, night in and night out. The Beavers have been an NCAA team three times in the past six years with the Bulldogs making six appearances.
Now imagine what Ali Farokhmanesh feels about the value they bring to the men’s side. Gonzaga makes an annual appearance and played for the title in 2020-21.
“I think if you look at just the pure net rankings from the past three years of teams joining the new Pac-12, it puts us in as the fifth best league in the country. Actually, another measurement puts us as a fourth best,” Farokhmanesh said. “That only puts you behind the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and that's massive. If you're talking about at-large, basically the NCAA tournament, you have to be one of those leagues that can get four to five teams in, and I truly believe that's where this league will be going forward.
“The Mountain West of the last three years, besides this season, getting four, six and four in, I think that's what the new Pac-12 is going to be. I think we'll also be able to be seated higher as well. I think it helps all of us be able to get better games in the non-conference and puts us in a different position than we've ever been in the past.”
To take advantage, he knows his program has to be in the right position, which he feels strongly about. Three consecutive 20-win seasons are a positive step, as are three NCAA nods in the past five seasons. A handful of former players in the NBA doesn’t hurt, either, including a pair of first-round picks.
It helps entering the new league with a wave of success. It aids in recruiting, which will be vital to remain atop the wave. To Farokhmanesh, heading to the Pac-12 is exciting, but additionally because of the recent trends.
“I think just looking at the past history of basketball at CSU, there's been highlights here and there throughout the years, but I think the consistency of what it's been over the last five to seven years now really puts it in a different direction than it has been in the past,” he said. “We've always had years where you've had two really good years and then kind of a little bit of a drop off from there, but I think the consistency of where we're at today puts you in a different level in college basketball.”
Williams admits the goal isn’t just getting there, it’s doing it with staying power, and the strength of the league is going to amplify the challenge. Scheduling a home-and-home with Oregon State the past two seasons wasn’t done in whimsey, nor was the trip to Spokane.
It was scouting and preparation, a preview for his teams – and the fans – of what awaits.
“We need to be going into the league with momentum because you said it is a basketball juggernaut in my mind,” said Williams, his program on its second run of five consecutive 20-win seasons under his watch. “We have very educated and knowledgeable fans, so they know exactly what is going to be rolling into Moby. I know they're going to be excited about it.
“Night in and night out, it's going to be very high quality, very entertaining, very competitive basketball. What fan wouldn't want to buy season tickets to this new Pac?”
The recent success of the athletic department across many fronts has given Weber even more reason to be excited about the future for the university as a whole. He anticipates doors opening in the future, new opportunities on the horizon.
It has required a great deal of effort to reach this point. He is clear it will take even more to take full advantage.
“It confirms everything that I already knew, which is this place has an opportunity to be great. And without question, our donors, our fans, and our community see it as well,” Weber said. “Our faculty sees it, our students see it, our leadership sees it.
“These are great things. Let's keep pushing this. We've reached a point, but we can be so much greater.”
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