Inaugural College Football Season for New-look Pac-12 Brings Questions, Opportunity

The Pac-12 Conference was left for dead after ten of its 12 member institutions left for other Power Conferences following the 2024 collegiate athletics season. Against all odds, however, the Pac-12 persists with a revamped lineup of schools and optimism heading into the 2026 college football season.

The Pac-12 dates its origin back to 1915 with four institutions forming the Pacific Coast Conference. Since then, evolutions have included the Athletic Association of Western Universities, the Pac-8 and the Pac-10. Each of those iterations signified progress until the mass exodus in August, 2024.

Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould has brought the conference back from near-death. — Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould has brought the conference back from near-death with an important 2026 college football season ahead. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Under the leadership of Conference commissioner Teresa Gould, however, the Pac-12 is fighting back. In football, six new schools - Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State - join remaining members Oregon State and Washington State for the 2026 college football season, which features a unique scheduling approach aimed at optimally positioning the conference for College Football Playoff opportunities.

Expansion has allowed the Pac-12 to sign broadcast deals with CBS, USA Sports and the CW Network, giving the conference short-term stability and a platform to rebuild for the future. The 2026 college football season will be the conference’s first major test for its long term success and overall credibility.

2026 Title Contenders

Here are my Pre-Spring Pac-12 Power Rankings for 2026.

How would you change this power ranking? pic.twitter.com/UV0U78EWZc
— CFBudge (@CF_Budge) February 27, 2026

With returning members Oregon State and Washington State both coming off head coaching changes this off-season following combined records of 9-16 in the 2025 season, the first football championship in the new-look Pac-12 is likely to be taken down by one of the new schools entering the race.

Boise State enters the Pac-12 after winning the 2025 Mountain West Conference Championship in December, finishing with a 9-5 record on the season. Fresno State and San Diego State also posted nine-win seasons in 2025, however, while Texas State went 7-6 in its final season as part of the Sun Belt Conference. Colorado State, meanwhile, parted ways with head coach Jay Norvell midway through the 2025 season and is now led by Jim Mora. Utah State finished 6-7 in the Mountain West last season.

San Diego State returns much of its offensive firepower in 2026, including quarterback Jayden Denegal and running back Lucky Sutton, both seniors. Boise State also returns a starting senior quarterback in Maddux Madsen, while Fresno State has a number of departing starters to replace including All-Mountain West offensive lineman Jacob Spomer. The 2026 Pac-12 champion is likely to come from that trio of MWC transplants, however.

Biggest Pac-12 Games in 2026

San Diego State and Boise State will meet in Week 12 of their inaugural seasons as Pac-12 Conference members. | Brian Losness-Imagn Images

The Pac-12 schedule makers likely foresaw Boise State and San Diego State as a potential conference title-deciding game next fall, holding that matchup until Week 12 to be held in Boise, Ida. The Conference’s flex schedule could alter the current lineup for Week 13 games in the conference. There will not be a rematch of the Week 12 Boise-SDSU game because Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and Washington State are all guaranteed home games in that final weekend of the college football regular season.

Meanwhile, Fresno State will play Boise State and Washington State back-to-back in Weeks 6 and 7. The matchup between returning Pac-12 programs Oregon State and Washington State takes place Week 7 as well. Marquee non-conference games for the conference include a Week 1 Boise State-Oregon clash. Washington State and Washington meet for their Apple Cup rivalry in Week 1 as well, while San Diego State will travel up I-5 to take on UCLA in Week 2. The Oregon-Oregon State rivalry, however, is on hold until at least 2028 after playing its final contracted game this past September.

Can The Pac-12 Ever Regain Power Conference Status?

Regaining programs lost to other Power Conferences is key for the Pac-12 to regain its status in college football. | ANNA REED / Statesman Journal

The departure of ten schools, including the conference’s most marquee college football programs, caused the Pac-12 to lose Power Conference status in 2024. As it relates to the college football post-season, the Pac-12 now has the same status as other Group of 6 Conferences for bowl eligibility, which was made more challenging with the changes implemented following the most recent College Football Playoff.

In December, CBS Sports college football analyst Adam Breneman predicted that the new Pac-12 Conference would be able to regain some of the member institutions it lost in 2024. It is clear the Pac-12 wants to continue expanding, but currently schools like Rice and UTSA are more likely potential additions in future years.

Expanding with current non-Power Conference schools is not going to return the Pac-12 to Power Conference status. Regaining lost programs, or peeling off schools lost in the shuffle of these mega conferences, is the only path for the Pac-12 to regain the respect necessary to rejoin the Power Conference ranks.

Considering the economics, not the least of which is the size of the Power Conference television deals compared to the Pac-12’s current deal structures, siphoning off schools from the Power Conferences seems unlikely. Maybe there is a pitch that could appeal to schools like Cal-Berkeley and Stanford, which are among the most respected academics institutions in the country, but the Pac-12 is still a long way from that reality. Starting with a successful 2026 college football season that attracts national attention, and ideally success in the College Football Playoff, is the best first step toward that goal.

The Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State is one of the few traditional Pac-12 rivalries that still remains. — The Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State is one of the few traditional Pac-12 rivalries that still remains intact. | James Snook-Imagn Images