Pac-12 football preview: Breaking down the 2026 schedules from toughest (Utah State) to easiest (Colorado State)
The Pac-12’s master schedule has received plenty of attention in the three days since its release, largely due to the unique flex week at the end of the regular season.
That’s not necessarily the case with the team schedules — with Boise State’s schedule and Utah State’s schedule and Texas State’s schedule and all the rest.
Who has the toughest road to the conference title and the College Football Playoff? Who got off easy?
How did the sequencing of games play out for an eight-team league playing a seven-game round-robin?
What about the array of non-conference opponents?
The Hotline examined the tentative matchups schedule for the flex weekend. We assessed the home-road breakdown and the placement of byes. And we placed significant weight on the four games against teams outside the Pac-12. The September pain clearly is not distributed equally.
Here we go.
1. Utah State. Congratulations to the Aggies and second-year coach Bronco Mendenhall. They have the most difficult schedule in the conference, in large part because of a daunting opening month. The Aggies face Washington and Utah back-to-back, both on the road, then commence conference play two weeks later at Boise State. What’s more, they finish the round-robin stretch with back-to-back road games against San Diego State, which will be coming off a bye, and Oregon State. And their tentative opponent for the flex weekend? Boise State. All told, Utah State is set to face six teams that won at least nine games last season.
2. Texas State. The season opener, at Texas, is arguably the most difficult assignment any team in the rebuilt Pac-12 will face all season. (Boise State might beg to differ. More on that below.) The Bobcats’ non-conference lineup also features home dates with UTSA and North Texas, which won seven and 12 games, respectively, last season. They begin conference play with a trip to San Diego State — Texas State is one of just two teams, along with Utah State, that plays both SDSU and Boise State on the road — and the bye week is a tad early for our liking.
3. Washington State. The new Pac-12 treated one of its founding members respectfully with regard to the league schedule. Yes, the Cougars have back-to-back road games (Utah State and Oregon State) and face Boise State when the Broncos are coming off a bye. But the most challenging aspect of WSU’s schedule was beyond the conference’s control: The Cougars face three Big Ten and Big 12 opponents in September. They open with the Apple Cup (in Seattle), then head to Kansas State a week later and, before the month closes, host Arizona. Can rookie coach Kirby Moore avoid going 0-3 against Power Four opponents?
4. Oregon State. Much like Washington State, their partner in Pac-12 salvation, the Beavers scheduled aggressively and open with back-to-back Big 12 opponents that combined for 22 wins last season: They visit Houston on Week 1, then host Texas Tech in the rematch of a 45-14 loss in Lubbock. The conference schedule is fairly manageable with SDSU and WSU visiting Corvallis in consecutive weeks prior to OSU’s bye. The finish could be tricky with a trip to Boise State, a home date with Utah State and then the flex weekend in Pullman. Generally, first-year coach JaMarcus Shephard has a schedule he can work with.
5. Fresno State. The Bulldogs make their 2026 debut at USC but should be 3-1 at the end of September with Sacramento State, San Jose State and Rice as their other non-conference opponents. We’ll know early if they are a contender or pretender in the Pac-12 thanks to a rugged opening stretch against Washington State (road), Boise State (home) and San Diego State (road). Then comes the bye, followed by a tepid finish. That said, the Bulldogs’ flex week opponent is SDSU, making them one of two teams, along with Utah State, that could have three dates with the Aztecs and Broncos.
6. San Diego State. We view the Aztecs and Boise State as two of the preseason favorites thanks to the combination of coaching acumen and personnel (both returning and incoming). The Pac-12 apparently views the situation similarly because it scheduled SDSU and Boise State to collide on the final weekend of conference play. Prior to that point, the Aztecs have a perfectly fair sequence of opponents: They don’t face any opponents that are coming off byes. The non-conference schedule is challenging but not daunting with UCLA (road) and James Madison (home) as the headliners.
7. Boise State. All eyes will be on the opener, at Oregon, with the inevitable comparisons to the riveting duel two years ago. But perhaps the most impactful game — for the Broncos and perhaps the entire Pac-12 — comes the following week when Boise State hosts Memphis, one of the top programs in the American and a potential contender for the Group of Six slot in the playoff. The Broncos can’t complain about their conference schedule: They don’t play back-to-back road games or face any opponents that have two weeks to prepare. Look closely enough, and it’s apparent the Pac-12 took great care with the sequencing of games for Boise State and SDSU. Which was smart.
8. Colorado State. First-year coach Jim Mora steps into a difficult situation with his roster but a fully manageable schedule. The Rams open with three consecutive home games, including a Week 3 date with BYU. They are the only team that hosts both SDSU and Boise State, and there are no instances of opponents having an edge in preparation time. The trickiest stretch comes at the end, with Boise State at home and then consecutive trips to Washington State and Fresno State.
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