Cal Poly Men’s Soccer Joins Pac-12 Conference as Associate Member

Cal Poly Men’s Soccer Joins Pac-12 Conference as Associate Member

3/30/2026 1:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer

“We’re truly excited about the opportunity of joining a new conference with the historic pedigree of the Pac-12. The Pac-12 has long set the standard for excellence, consistently showcasing the commitment, discipline and talent of its student-athletes at the highest level and we’re proud to align ourselves with that tradition.”

Oige Kennedy, Cal Poly Head Coach

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men’s soccer program embarks on a new era this fall as the Mustangs – following 25 years in the Big West – will join the Pac-12 Conference as an associate member starting with the 2026 season. The Pac-12 and Big West jointly announced a collaborative men’s soccer partnership on Monday designed to strengthen and sustain Division I men’s soccer opportunities across the western United States.

As part of the strategic partnership, Cal Poly, UC Riverside and UC San Diego will join the Pac-12 from the Big West as associate men’s soccer members, competing alongside 2023 College Cup qualifier Oregon State, San Diego State and Gonzaga. California Baptist, entering the Big West as a full member for the 2026-27 season, will also join the Pac-12 for men’s soccer as an associate.

The 2026 Pac-12 schedule will comprise six matches with the top four programs qualifying for the conference tournament. Cal Poly’s full 2026 regular season schedule will be announced later this spring.

“This transition presents a new and demanding challenge with some top programs on our schedule for 2026,” said fourth-year Cal Poly head coach Oige Kennedy, who returns to the Pac-12 following his time as associate head coach at Stanford (2016-22). “It will require growth, resilience and a relentless competitive edge – all qualities that our group is eager to embrace. Our players have worked hard to put themselves in a position to compete in an environment like this and they’re motivated by the opportunity to test themselves against the very best.

“As we look ahead to the fall, there’s a strong sense of purpose and excitement surrounding our program. Representing our university in the ‘Conference of Champions’ is both an honor and a responsibility and our team is ready to get after it.”

A new era begins for Cal Poly men's soccer with the Mustangs joining the Pac-12 Conference as an affiliate member for the 2026 season!#RideHigh
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— Cal Poly Men’s Soccer (@CPMensSoccer) March 30, 2026

The Big West – for men’s soccer – now consists of Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Sacramento State, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Utah Valley, which joins as a full member for the 2026-27 year.

As part of the partnership, the Pac-12 and Big West will implement a scheduling collaboration featuring crossover matches between member institutions of both conferences. Those matches will not count toward points in either conference table.

Cal Poly’s nationally recognized Blue-Green rivalry series with UC Santa Barbara – which has drawn 36 of the top 76 regular season crowd figures in NCAA history – remains intact with the 2026 home-and-home matchups both played as non-conference games.

Monday’s strategic partnership announcement affects just men’s soccer. The Cal Poly wrestling program also competes as a Pac-12 associate member.

Cal Poly departs the Big West following its best two-year stretch in program history. In claiming back-to-back Big West regular season titles (2024-25), Cal Poly finished a combined 9-3-6 in conference play.

Prior to joining the Big West for the 2001 season, the Cal Poly men’s soccer program was a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation member (1995-2000) after playing its inaugural 1994 Division I season as an independent.