Pac12 Power Rankings Heading Into The Season

This is the start of a season long series where I will be power ranking each team at the end of each week. While not all the schools are playing in the same conference right now, it makes the power ranking more interesting and leaves more room for debate! 


  1. Boise State 

While Boise State lost a lot of talent from last year's College Football Playoff team, they still return a lot of players from last year's team. They are a top contender to win the Mountain West title again this season. Replacing the star power of Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty is no easy feat but the number one spot is Boise State’s to lose heading into the season. 

  1. Oregon State 

It is no secret that Oregon State had a disappointing season under first year head coach Trent Bray last year. Getting Maalik Murphy at QB is going to be a big step forward for Oregon State this season. While Oregon State plays an extremely competitive schedule this year, they should be very competitive and I expect them to be one of the top teams in the Pac12 power rankings this year. 

  1. WSU 

WSU is a real wild card this year. With a completely new coaching staff and a pretty new roster it is hard to project exactly how this season will go. The schedule is pretty difficult this year so it is possible this could be a down year for the Cougs. WSU lands 3rd on this list for now, but it is very possible that they could be the most volatile team in these power rankings this season. 

  1. Fresno State 

Fresno State will be an extremely interesting team to watch this season. It will be their first year under head coach Matt Entz. He has quite the resume, spending 4 years as the head coach of NDSU before spreading last year as the linebackers coach at USC. He knows how to build a winning program and Fresno State is usually a sneaky good team. 

  1. Colorado State 

Colorado State has a pretty favorable schedule this season. The only games that seem like sure losses are their opener against Washington and their game at Boise State. The rest of the schedule lines up to where it is possible to see an 8 to 10 win season. Colorado State will be an interesting team to watch this year. They have the ability to quickly move up these power rankings. 

  1. SDSU 

I believe that Sean Lewis is a good head coach. He did a fantastic job at Kent State and I believe that he will be able to turn around SDSU. The offense is getting pretty much a complete overhaul which probably isn't a bad thing. The defense keeps some key pieces which should be very helpful. I think a successful season would be at least 6 wins and looking at the schedule this definitely seems like a possibility for SDSU. 

  1. Texas State 

Texas State has the type of schedule this year where 9-10 wins isn't out of the question. GJ Kinne is an incredible coach and looks to build on the success that he has had the last two years. The reason that Texas State starts the year in the 7 spot is how I think they match up against other Pac12 teams. Texas State definitely has the potential to rise up this list as the season goes on.  

  1. Utah State 

Utah State is probably the hardest team in these power rankings to predict. I really like Bronco Mendenhall as a head coach and think he is a perfect fit for Utah State. The team returns just three total starters from last year's team. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there may be a lot of things to work out this year. This year is the perfect year to sort things out and come out swinging heading into the new look Pac12 next year. 


What do you think of these power rankings heading into the season? Is there a team that is clearly in the wrong place?


Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 23, 2025 at 1:24 AM

    Wazzu ending up in the top 3 would be a huge win given all the change they’ve been through. I think their game against CSU in late September will be telling on if those teams are in the right spots now or that they need to be switched.

    ReplyDelete

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