Utah Valley to Join Big West in 2026

Utah Valley University (UVU) has announced it will join the Big West Conference as a full member beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, departing the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after more than a decade. UVU will become the largest university in the Big West and will compete in 13 Big West-sponsored sports, while its wrestling program remains in the Big 12 Conference. University officials and athletic leadership have called the transition a transformative opportunity for UVU's academic and athletic profile. The move aligns UVU with primarily California-based institutions and represents a major milestone in the university’s growth since achieving NCAA Division I status in 2009. This transition is part of the ongoing wave of conference realignment in collegiate athletics. The change underscores UVU's rapid evolution from a junior college to a prominent Division I athletic program.