CBU Men's Soccer Excited for Pac-12 Move

Transition from WAC to Pac-12 expected to boost competition level and postseason opportunities.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 10:12pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented college soccer match, with sharp planes of navy, green, and gold overlapping to create a dynamic, multi-angled visual representation of the sport.The Pac-12's strategic partnership with the Big West aims to elevate men's soccer competition on the West Coast.Riverside Today

California Baptist University men's soccer coach Coe Michaelson is optimistic about the program's upcoming move from the Western Athletic Conference to the Pac-12 Conference. The move will provide CBU with more competitive matches, two automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, and a better chance at securing at-large tournament spots due to the Pac-12 and Big West's focus on strengthening their teams' RPIs.

Why it matters

The Pac-12 and Big West's strategic partnership to combine their men's soccer competitions is expected to raise the overall level of play and provide more opportunities for West Coast teams to earn NCAA Tournament bids. This is significant as the Mountain and Pacific time zones have historically been underrepresented in the NCAA Tournament field.

The details

Under the new arrangement, CBU will play fewer conference matches but will face crossover games against strong Big West opponents like Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. The goal is to boost the RPIs of the top teams in both conferences, making it harder for lower-RPI teams to upset them and steal at-large bids. CBU has qualified for the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons but has been eliminated in the WAC tournament semifinals.

  • CBU will begin play in the Pac-12 this upcoming fall season.
  • The Pac-12 and Big West announced their strategic partnership last week.

The players

Coe Michaelson

The head coach of the California Baptist University men's soccer team.

Pac-12 Conference

One of the most historic and distinguished brands in college sports, the Pac-12 is expanding its men's soccer competition through a partnership with the Big West Conference.

Big West Conference

A Division I collegiate athletic conference that will be combining its men's soccer competition with the Pac-12 starting this fall.

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What they’re saying

“They — the conferences and the NCAA — spoke with the coaches at length in multiple meetings and were very responsive to our perspectives.”

— Coe Michaelson, Head Coach, California Baptist University Men's Soccer

“Now we have two automatic bids (to the NCAA Tournament) for our combined 14 teams rather than one for the Big West's 11 teams.”

— Coe Michaelson, Head Coach, California Baptist University Men's Soccer

“Losing to low-RPI teams is the biggest thing that can undermine an at-large opportunity. The thing is, out west, we cannibalize one another and very few East Coast teams will come out here (to play), so we end up with teams with low RPI who are much better than teams in other parts of the country.”

— Coe Michaelson, Head Coach, California Baptist University Men's Soccer

What’s next

The Pac-12 and Big West are expected to finalize the details of their strategic partnership in the coming weeks, including the specific scheduling format and crossover matchups for the upcoming season.

The takeaway

The Pac-12's addition of CBU and the strategic partnership with the Big West represents an opportunity for West Coast men's soccer programs to gain more national exposure and earn more NCAA Tournament bids. By focusing on RPI and strengthening the top teams in the region, the conferences hope to overcome the historical underrepresentation of Western teams in the national tournament field.