Welcome to another edition of Friday Five! Last week we looked at the top Mountain West in-conference showdowns, this week we look at the Pac-12. The Mountain West is set to split this summer with the “departing five” leaving to create the reformed Pac-12. The Mountain West has added the likes of North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, and UTEP to fill the gaps.
We at the Mountain West Connection intend to cover both conferences going forward. “Friday Five” will feature the five best of, well, anything
leading into football season, alternating between each conference week-to-week. Best quarterbacks, stadiums, mascots, who knows. We’re open to your ideas! This week, we start off with the Friday Five Pac-12 football conference games
5. Oregon State vs. Washington State, October 17th
In August 2023, the Pac-12 as we knew it crumbled. Washington State and Oregon State were left without lifeboats to the remaining power conferences. Over three years later, the two teams will meet in October as members of the reformed Pac-12. No, replacing Oregon, Washington, and USC with Boise State, Fresno State, and San Diego State will never not hurt for the Beavers and Cougs, but the 2026 season will put an end to the football purgatory the two programs have floated in for the past several years. Both programs will have new head coaches, JaMarcus Shephard in Corvallis and Kirby Moore in Pullman. A new era.
4. Fresno State vs. Boise State, October 10th
One of the key rivalries in this new Pac-12, the battle for the Milk Can. Fresno State has quietly owned this series of late, stunning Boise State in Boise last season. The Broncos remained an annoyance all the same for the Bulldogs, ultimately winning the conference championship. Both teams will be looking for revenge of sorts. Boise State hasn’t won at Bulldog Stadium since 2021 and hasn’t beaten Fresno State since 2023. Can Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen stay healthy this time? This game will be a conference tone-setter for both teams.
3. San Diego State vs. Fresno State, October 17th
We’re going to find out if the Bulldogs are a conference title contender or not pretty quickly. Following the Boise State game the Bulldogs travel to Snapdragon Stadium to take on San Diego State. The Bulldogs suffered a humiliating 23-0 loss to the Aztecs last season in front of the home fans. Can head coach Matt Entz find a more consistent offense this fall? The Bulldogs will need it to score enough points to beat what is expected to be a balanced Aztecs team, strong on both sides of the ball. Running backs Rayshon Luke and Bryson Donelson are back and will lead the way for the Bulldogs, quarterback remains to be determined.
2. San Diego State vs. Washington State, October 31st
As the season pushes to the crucial weeks, San Diego State hosts Washington State on Halloween. Kirby Moore takes over the Wazzu program and will hope to have a formidable offense right out of the gate, same as he had at Missouri. However, Ahmad Hardy and Luther Burden are not walking through that door. Can Moore find some playmakers right away? A three-way quarterback competition will continue into fall camp. San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal will hope to keep the Aztecs on track for the conference title race heading into November. These games involving the former top of the Mountain West vs. the original Pac-12 holdovers are fascinating. Who runs this reformed town?
1. Boise State vs. San Diego State, November 21st
If any game is circled on the calendar come November, it is this one. A week before Thanksgiving the Broncos host the Aztecs. In 2024 Boise State destroyed the Aztecs on the blue turf, but SDSU returned the favor by beating the Broncos in a rain-drenched contest in San Diego. The Broncos will be more than a little annoyed and looking to avenge that loss, quarterback Maddux Madsen missed that game with injury too. This one feels like it will be a conference title elimination game.
Others in consideration: To be determined??? The 2026 Pac-12 features only 8 teams, meaning 7 conference games for each team. The unique “flex” in the final week of the season, up to the discretion of the conference, means there may or may not be a pivotal clash in the final week of the regular season. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Pac-12 handles that. Do they challenge or protect their frontrunners?
Also, no disrespect intended towards Texas State, Colorado State, and Utah State for not appearing on this list. Limited to five games makes it impossible to include everyone. I have no doubt we’ll have a surprise conference title contender this season and all three of those programs have reason to believe the arrow is pointing up.
