Pac-12 football tiers, post-expansion: How teams from Mountain West stack up in revamped conference

The wheels of conference realignment are spinning again with this week’s news that the Pac-12 has recruited a group of reinforcements to join Oregon State and Washington State starting in 2026. Adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State won’t get the league back to its former status, but it enhances the pulse of a conference that was on life support.

While the pain of abandonment felt by Oregon State and Washington State amid the departures of 10 legacy Pac-12 members for the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten isn’t going away, at least the future is finally coming into focus. It’s a future that should include the Beavers and Cougars regularly competing for league titles on the gridiron.

Washington State’s last share of a Pac-12 title came in 2002, and Oregon State’s last share came in 2000. But both are set to be top-tier members of the revamped conference, which will still need to make additions. Among the schools to watch could be some combination of current American Athletic Conference schools UTSA, Rice, North Texas and Memphis, according to John Talty and Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.

So, against that backdrop, let’s look at how Pac-12 football tiers could look when the revived league begins play in 2026. 

Pac-12’s current six schools

Oregon State

Tier I: Regular conference title contender

The skinny: Oregon State cycled through peaks and valleys in the old Pac-12, reaching double-digit victories under three different coaches (Dennis Erickson, Mike Riley and Jonathan Smith) in the 21st century. The…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/pac-12-football-tiers-post-expansion-how-teams-from-mountain-west-stack-up-in-revamped-conference/

Author : David Cobb

Publish date : 2024-09-13 19:19:35

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