Conference Realignment 2023

David Vick — August 13, 2023

With the Pac-12 disintegrating in recent weeks, where will current women’s lacrosse programs in the conference compete after the 2023-2024 season?

Let’s take a look at the straightforward answers to the more complicated ones.

Big Ten

Oregon and USC will become official members of the Big Ten Conference on August 2, 2024. With their addition, the conference will go from seven to nine women’s lacrosse teams.

Big 12

Just like the Ducks and Trojans, Arizona State and Colorado have found a new home for most of their athletic programs starting in 2024-2025. Both are joining the Big 12 Conference.

However, the Big 12 does not offer women’s lacrosse which leaves both schools looking for a lacrosse-specific conference to join.

Competing in a different conference for just one sport or a select few is not uncommon. Florida, an SEC school, competes in the American Athletic Conference for women’s lacrosse. Other schools across the country, whose primary conference does not have enough teams for a particular sport, do as well.

The Rest

Stanford, a premier university for student-athletes, and Cal are the remaining full-time Pac-12 lacrosse members with an uncertain future.

A number of media outlets have revealed the possibility of both schools joining the ACC. As far as women’s lacrosse goes, the ACC is the strongest and deepest conference in the country. In this regard, joining the conference makes perfect sense.

However, women’s lacrosse is not the sport dictating conference realignment in college sports. Football is.

Recent reports indicate opposition from current ACC schools to add Stanford and Cal, leaving few options for the Cardinal and Golden Bears. Without interest from the Big Ten or Big 12 either, no Power Five options exist at the moment for the two California schools.

The other two programs of importance are UC Davis and San Diego State.

Both the Aggies and Aztecs are set to join the Pac-12 for the 2023-2024 season as women’s lacrosse affiliate members in a move that was announced last year. With the exodus of teams from the conference, it will likely be a one-and-done year for both, meaning they will also be looking for new homes in 2024-2025.

There used to be a lacrosse-specific conference, The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, for a number of West Coast teams, but it was moved away from largely in part due to the Pac-12 adding women’s lacrosse to its varsity sports.

Perhaps this will be an option for smaller programs such as UC Davis and San Diego State, but more teams would be needed.

At this point, we know that Oregon and USC have a secured future for their programs in the Big Ten. Remaining Pac-12 members Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, San Diego State, Stanford and UC Davis are still in search of homes for their women’s lacrosse teams in 2024-2025.