Pac-12 power rankings: The league begins to take shape in Week 3
Sep 18, 2026, 1:06 PM
Tracking the Pac-12 football power rankings as Week 3 begins. (Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
(Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
LOGAN – The Pac-12 had another rough week, as the league’s eight teams combined for a 3-5 record.
The top teams in the league continued to separate themselves, while others looked to improve from Week 1.
week 3 loading 🔄 pic.twitter.com/35dV1Ft2x4
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 17, 2026
Two weeks into the Pac-12’s relaunch, a clear hierarchy is forming. Boise State and Colorado State sit at a combined 3-1, outscoring opponents by a combined 166-70, and are starting to pull away from a muddled middle class still searching for answers. Meanwhile, four of the conference’s five winless teams have faced daunting schedules, leaving the question of whether their struggles stem from talent or scheduling.
Week 3 offers a chance for clarity — particularly in Fort Collins, where the Rams welcome No. 11 BYU for the biggest home game in recent Colorado State history.
Here’s where all eight teams stand.
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Week 3 Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. Boise State Broncos (1-1)
Quarterback Maddux Madsen was good, throwing for 221 yards and a touchdown while protecting the ball, but Boise State’s story on Saturday was running back Dylan Riley.
The junior catapulted himself into the Pac-12 rushing yardage lead with 206 yards against the Tigers. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry and added two receptions for 11 yards.
Boise State’s defense did its part, recording eight tackles for loss, including two sacks, and Travis Anderson picked off an interception.
Dylan Riley ➡️ Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week 👊#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/FIDwzYeiRm
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) September 15, 2026
Week 2 result: Win vs. Memphis, 38-20
Week 3 matchup: Saturday vs. South Dakota, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
2. Colorado State Rams (2-0)
The Rams, led by head coach Jim Mora in his first season and transfer quarterback Hauss Hejny, torched the Thunderbirds with 48 first-half points in a blowout victory.
Hejny added to his early-season Pac-12 Player of the Year resume with 325 passing yards and four touchdowns, plus 75 yards and a rushing score. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy already has nine passing touchdowns and leads the Pac-12 with 10 total touchdowns.
Running back Mel Brown added 171 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries as the Rams showcased a balanced attack.
Few would expect CSU to beat No. 11 BYU this weekend, but hanging with one of the Big 12’s best teams would go a long way toward proving Mora and the Rams can push Boise State for conference supremacy.
Hauss Hejny had himself a night for @CSUFootball 🥶
5 touchdowns
325 pass yards
85 rush yards
188.3 passer rating pic.twitter.com/k03egC2KWt— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 13, 2026
Week 2 result: Win vs. Southern Utah, 58-24
Week 3 matchup: Saturday vs. No. 11 BYU, 5:30 p.m. on CBS
3. San Diego State Aztecs (1-1)
The Aztecs struggled against the Bruins’ rushing attack on Saturday, but their ineffective offense proved the most concerning factor in an 18-point road loss.
Quarterback Jayden Denegal completed just 6 of 17 passes for 45 yards. Lucky Sutton carried the ball 19 times for 81 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, but he’ll need more support from Denegal if the Aztecs’ attack is going to be feared.
SDSU’s defense surrendered 214 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground against UCLA, raising questions about its defensive front.
Week 2 result: Loss at UCLA, 28-10
Week 3 matchup: Saturday vs. James Madison, 8 p.m. on The CW
4. Oregon State Beavers (0-2)
Oregon State has officially survived the gauntlet of opening the season against back-to-back Top 25 teams. After looking solid in a Week 1 loss to Houston, the Beavers held a fourth-quarter lead over No. 13 Texas Tech before succumbing to the Red Raiders’ attack.
The pass-first offense — Oregon State attempted 52 passes against 19 rushing attempts — was highlighted by Braden Atkinson’s 413-yard, two-touchdown game. The sophomore has already thrown for 789 yards and is completing better than 60% of his passes (60 of 99) despite facing two strong defenses. Jesse Legree was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after exploding for 240 yards and two TDs on eight catches.
Heatin up in Corvallis… Atkinson to Legree AGAIN 🔥
📺 @CBS pic.twitter.com/p72tTnoi5w
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) September 13, 2026
Oregon State’s defense has work to do after the Red Raiders converted 8 of 17 third downs, but the Beavers look like a team that could contend in the Pac-12.
Week 2 result: Loss vs. No. 13 Texas Tech, 35-24
Week 3 matchup: Saturday vs. Montana, 9 p.m. on USA Sports
5. Fresno State Bulldogs (1-1)
Fresno State rebounded from its Week 1 shutout loss to take advantage of the Sacramento State Hornets.
Quarterback Jayden Mandal silenced the critics after his abysmal performance against USC. The junior completed 23 of 26 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Mandal added a rushing touchdown and even caught a 21-yard pass in the all-around effort.
Wide receivers Ezekiel Avit and Josiah Freeman each topped the 100-yard receiving mark as 10 different Bulldogs caught a pass.
@FresnoStateFB‘s Jayden Mandal connects on a 73-yard strike, then adds the two-point conversion 🔒
the Bulldogs currently lead Sacramento State 22-0 late in the second quarter ➡️ @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/w3hMZDqlHB
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 13, 2026
Week 2 result: Win vs. Sacramento State, 49-3
Week 3 matchup: Saturday at San Jose State, 9 p.m. on FS1
6. Texas State Bobcats (0-2)
The Bobcats are who pundits expected them to be. Texas State has an explosive offense behind quarterback Brad Jackson, but a defense that hasn’t forced turnovers and struggles to get off the field on third and fourth down.
Jackson helped his team take a 23-17 lead into the final quarter, but Texas State was outscored 14-3 in the final period with the defense allowing touchdowns on both Roadrunner drives.
Texas State has forced one turnover through two games and registered two sacks — numbers that will have to improve to give Jackson and the offense a chance to win games.
Brad Jackson LAYS OUT for the 14-7 lead for @TXSTATEFOOTBALL 👀
📺 @TheCW_Sports pic.twitter.com/yHrN02xFcj
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 12, 2026
Week 2 result: Loss vs. UTSA, 31-26
Week 3 matchup: Saturday vs. North Texas, 10 a.m. on USA Sports
7. Washington State Cougars (0-2)
The Cougars’ offense didn’t look much different in Week 2, leaving Washington State searching for answers after back-to-back losses to Power Four programs. Kansas State controlled the game from the start Saturday, with the only Cougar points coming on a pick-six from Jaylen Thomas to end the first half.
Quarterback Caden Pinnick was helpless in the pocket, getting sacked four times while completing fewer than half of his pass attempts for 65 yards. Washington State’s offense has nowhere to go but up after two sub-par performances.
Thomas finished the day with two interceptions, marking the lone bright spot for an otherwise thoroughly disappointing start to the season for Washington State.
our Players of the Week are here 🔥@BroncoSportsFB‘s Dylan Riley & Cam Bates, @BeaverFootball‘s Jesse Legree and @WSUCougarFB‘s Jaylen Thomas are taking home Week 2 honors.
learn more: https://t.co/C603Lfybi7 pic.twitter.com/qrSFC7Xygj
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 14, 2026
Week 2 result: Loss at Kansas State, 34-7
Week 3 matchup: Saturday vs. Duquesne, 1:30 p.m. on USA Sports
8. Utah State Aggies (0-2)
Utah State made massive improvements after its Week 1 loss to Idaho State, coming within a Hail Mary’s chance of upsetting No. 19 Washington in a 16-14 loss. The defense was spectacular, but offensive ineptitude keeps the Aggies in the Pac-12 basement for another week.
Starting quarterback McCae Hillstead was unavailable, leading to the first start of Grady Brosterhous’ career. The former Virginia Cavalier was solid but by no means spectacular while accounting for 259 of the team’s 271 yards of offense. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall couldn’t commit to Hillstead being healthy enough to play at No. 17 Utah as he recovers from a forearm injury sustained in preparation for Week 1, leaving an Aggie offense in need of a jolt and raising more questions than answers.
The defense has been tremendous, especially given opponents’ average starting position. USU has allowed just 13 points following seven turnovers, highlighting the unit’s toughness and never-quit mindset.
Utah State’s Javon Robinson breaks loose for a 78-yard touchdown in Washington‼️ pic.twitter.com/IhDucmJ9FM
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 12, 2026
Week 2 result: Loss vs. No. 19 Washington, 16-14
Week 3 matchup: Saturday at No. 17 Utah, 1:30 p.m. on FOX
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USU renews the Battle of the Brothers against the No. 17 Utah Utes on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. MT.
Find Utah State football’s entire 2026 schedule here.
Find the entire 2026 Pac-12 schedule here.
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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.
