NCAA Conference Realignment Summary: A Lot Has Changed

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2024 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. (Also, a big shout out to Anya Pelshaw for helping making the maps)

Well, it’s not quite yet that time, but with September right around the corner and NCAA D I programs already in the swing of things, consider this a preamble to our college previews.

The Moves

Not since the formation of the Big 12 Athletic Conference back in 1996 has there been so much movement in the NCAA Swimming & Diving world, and perhaps the changes announced over the past three years trump that.

Texas, along with Oklahoma (which doesn’t sponsor swimming), announced back in 2021 their intentions to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC. The move would see Texas join one of the premier swimming conferences and leave a massive hole in the Big 12, as the Texas Men were undefeated at Conference Championships and the Women had won 20 times from 1996 to 2021.

A year later, in June of 2022 PAC-12 programs USC and UCLA (women’s swimming) both announced their jump to the Big Ten, a move that set off tizzy of moves and spelt the death knell of the PAC-12 as a power conference.

Oregon and Washington, which don’t support swimming, joined their southern rivals in the Big Ten. Arizona and Arizona State jumped into the void left by Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, as did Colorado and Utah. California, Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State were the only programs remaining by the summer of 2023. However, Cal and Stanford were gobbled up by the ACC, which was the only conference to not yet add new programs. Yet, it was not an easy process for Cal and Stanford (as well as SMU) as all three schools will have to deal with decreased media rights revenue for the coming nine years.

When the dust settled, 10 of the 12 PAC-12 programs had flown the coop by August of 2023, leaving just Oregon State and Washington State, which a few months later announced their move to the West Coast Conference as an affiliate member, with WSU set to swim in Mountain West Conference.

Where it Stands

With the demise of the PAC-12, there are now just four Power Conferences, and for swimming, this means vast changes to programs, especially as some West Coast teams will have to travel cross-country for meets.

The Changes

Select Storylines 

With the dissolution of the PAC-12, conference meetings, which were once a mixed bag of taper and not so, have certainly changed and with every conference adding teams from a P5 conference.

• Texas, which used to be able to rest its men at conference, will now face off against much stronger competition in the SEC, including 2024 #3 place finisher Florida and #6 place finisher Tennesse. The Women, runner-ups at NCAA, join a very strong SEC that includes NCAA 3rd and 4th place finishers Florida and Tennesse.
• ASU, which won back PAC-12 titles on the men’s side against tough competition Cal, now finds itself likely atop the Big 12, with little competition to threaten their streak of conference titles.
• The Big 10 adds the 8th place NCAA Women’s team, USC, which finished just 6 points behind Indiana at the NCAA Championships and just one place ahead of Ohio State, albeit by 38 points.
• The ACC sees powerhouse Cal threaten NC State’s run of three straight conference titles on the men’s side, and both the Cal and Stanford women could make things a little less comfortable for the Virginia Women.

ACC Membership in 2024-25

Big Ten Membership in 2024-25

Big 12 Membership in 2024-25

SEC Membership in 2024-25