Pac-12 football power rankings: How does the conference stack up?
Sep 4, 2026, 4:06 PM | Updated: 4:06 pm
Week 1 Pac-12 Power Rankings (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The 2026 college football season is here, and with it comes a fresh, more regional Pac-12 Conference.
Gone are the blue bloods — USC, UCLA, and a host of other traditional college football powers. Holdovers Oregon State and Washington State are joined by six newcomers looking to establish supremacy in the new-look league.
Boise State, with three consecutive Mountain West championships, headlines the group. The Broncos are joined by former Mountain West programs Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State. Texas State, formerly of the Sun Belt Conference, rounds out the eight-team league.
RELATED: Bronco Mendenhall wants Aggies to ‘take over’ games in Year 2
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Five of the Pac-12’s eight teams open against preseason Top 25 opponents, giving the retooled conference an immediate measuring stick.
Boise State enters as the standard after three straight Mountain West titles, but the first season of the new-look league should reveal quickly whether the Broncos have company at the top.
As the Pac-12 enters a new era, KSL Sports will feature a weekly power ranking. This is not intended as a prediction for how the league will look at the end of the season, but as a weekly gauge of the hottest teams in the conference.
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Week 1 Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. Boise State Broncos
The longtime kings of the Mountain West look to continue their reign in the Pac-12. Former American Fork Caveman Maddux Madsen returns for his redshirt senior season with 35 games of experience, giving the Broncos perhaps the league’s most experienced quarterback.
Week 1 matchup: Saturday at No. 2 Oregon, 1:30 p.m. MT on CBS
2. San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs return All-Mountain West first-team running back Lucky Sutton, and former Michigan quarterback Jayden Denegal is back for his second season at SDSU, creating one of the most dangerous backfield duos in the conference.
Week 1 matchup: Saturday vs. Portland State, 7:30 p.m. on USA Network
3. Texas State Bobcats
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brad Jackson enters the year as a Phil Steele All-Pac-12 first-team selection and is joined by 2025 leading receivers Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. Despite their Sun Belt roots, the Bobcats might well end up with the most dangerous offensive attack in the league. How their new-look defense holds up their end of the bargain will determine how far the Bobcats can climb.
Week 1 matchup: Saturday at No. 5 Texas, 1:30 p.m. MT on ESPN
4. Fresno State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have put together a strong roster from top to bottom, including what could be one of the best defenses in the league. If fourth-year signal-caller Jaydan Mandal can bounce back from an injury that kept him out all of last season, Fresno State will be a tough opponent every week.
Week 1 matchup: Friday at No. 14 USC, 7 p.m. MT on Fox
5. Utah State Aggies
Bronco Mendenhall’s track record indicates the Aggies could be in line to take a leap in Year 2. Mendenhall’s BYU teams improved from 6-6 in his first season to 11-2 in his second. At Virginia, the stoic leader helped the Cavaliers start 5-1 and reach their first bowl game in six seasons during his second year.
USU enters the season with plenty of question marks, but improved depth and a refreshed McCae Hillstead at quarterback position the program for a strong year.
Week 1 matchup: Saturday vs. Idaho State, 5 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network
6. Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State stumbled to a 2-10 record a year ago but added former Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson through the transfer portal in hopes of a quick rebound. The sophomore threw for 3,596 yards and 34 touchdowns to earn Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
Week 1 matchup: Saturday at No. 23 Houston, 10 a.m. MT on ESPN
7. Washington State Cougars
First-year head coach Kirby Moore hit the transfer portal hard, adding a dozen Power Four transfers to bolster a roster that finished 7-6 in 2025. FCS transfer quarterback Caden Pinnick steps into the starting spot, and his ability to adapt to FBS-level play will go a long way toward determining the Cougars’ 2026 viability.
Week 1 matchup: Sunday at No. 17 Washington, 2 p.m. MT on NBC
8. Colorado State Rams
Former NFL head coach Jim Mora takes control of the program following a 2-10 finish last season. Unfortunately for the Rams, Mora’s name recognition will not put points on the board in his first season at the helm.
Week 1 matchup: Saturday vs. Wyoming, 4 p.m. MT on USA Network
Week 1 will not settle the Pac-12 race, but it should offer an early read on the league’s ceiling. With five teams facing ranked opponents and several programs breaking in new quarterbacks, the first weekend will show which teams are ready to make an immediate statement in the rebuilt conference.
Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone
Kickoff between the Aggies and Bengals is set for 5 p.m. MT Saturday on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
Find Utah State football’s entire 2026 schedule here.
Find the entire 2026 Pac-12 schedule here.
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Catch Utah State football live with Scott Garrard and former Aggie QB Kevin White on KSL Sports Zone radio. You can also stream every game online at sports.ksl.com or on the go with the KSL Sports app, available for download on iOS and Android.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
