Honestly, if you took a nap in 2023 and woke up today, looking at the pac 12 football standings would make your head spin. It’s weird. The "Conference of Champions" basically evaporated and then, like a glitchy video game character, started respawning in a form that looks more like a Mountain West fever dream than the league of Reggie Bush and Marcus Mariota.
We are currently in that strange "in-between" era. For the 2025 season, the standings are just a two-team race between Washington State and Oregon State. That’s it. Just two. They’ve been playing a chaotic "Pac-2" schedule, clinging to the brand name while the other ten schools ran off to the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.
But things are changing fast. By July 1, 2026, the league officially swells back up to eight football members. If you’re checking the standings to see who’s actually winning, you have to look at how these two holdovers performed against a schedule filled with Mountain West "friends" and random Power 4 opponents.
The Current State of the Standings (2025-2026 Transition)
Last season was a bit of a grind for the remaining duo. Washington State managed to keep their head above water, finishing with a 7-6 record overall. They actually beat their rivals in Corvallis twice—once in a 10-7 defensive slog in November and again with a more convincing 32-8 win to close out the month.
Oregon State, on the other hand, had a rough go of it under Trent Bray. A 2-10 record isn't what the Beaver faithful expected, especially after years of being a legitimate threat in the old Pac-12. They were essentially a team without a home, playing a schedule that felt like an identity crisis.
Here is how the "conference" standings looked at the end of the 2025 regular season:
- Washington State Cougars: 1-1 in "conference" play (7-6 overall). They showed some spark, especially with a solid win over Colorado State and a competitive showing against Ole Miss where they only lost by three.
- Oregon State Beavers: 1-1 in "conference" play (2-10 overall). It was a "deep rebuild" year. Their only conference win came against Wazzu in that 10-7 rock fight, but the rest of the season was a string of brutal losses to teams like Oregon (41-7) and even Wake Forest.
It's sorta funny to call it a "standing" when it’s just two teams trade-marking a logo, but that’s the reality of modern college football.
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Who Is Joining the Pac-12 in 2026?
The Pac-12 is currently in a massive "reloading" phase. Commissioner Teresa Gould didn't just sit around; she went shopping. To keep that FBS status, they needed eight football members. They found them, mostly by raiding the Mountain West.
Starting July 1, 2026, the standings will actually look like a real conference again. The new foundational members are:
- Boise State (The big prize)
- San Diego State
- Fresno State
- Colorado State
- Utah State
- Texas State (The wildcard from the Sun Belt)
Oh, and Gonzaga is joining too, but only for basketball and other sports. They don't have a football team, so don't go looking for them on the gridiron standings.
Why Texas State Matters
Adding Texas State was a huge chess move. It gives the league a footprint in Texas, which is basically the holy grail of recruiting. Under coach G.J. Kinne, the Bobcats have been a "rising star," and early projections for the 2026 season have them potentially competing for the top of the pack right away.
Predicting the 2026 Standings
If you’re looking ahead, the hierarchy is going to be fascinating. Most experts and early "way-too-early" power rankings have Boise State as the immediate favorite. They’ve consistently been the gold standard of the Group of Five, and they aren't coming to the Pac-12 to play second fiddle.
Washington State is expected to be the primary challenger. They’ve actually recruited surprisingly well despite the chaos, currently holding one of the top-rated classes among the "new" Pac-12 schools.
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The middle of the pack is where it gets messy. San Diego State usually has a defense that can stop a freight train, but their offense has been stuck in the mud for years. Fresno State is always consistent. Colorado State is improving under Jay Norvell, but they still struggle to finish big games.
Then you have Oregon State and Utah State, both of whom are in significant transition periods. Oregon State’s 2026 recruiting class has been lagging, and there’s a real fear they might start the new era at the bottom of the standings unless they hit the transfer portal hard.
The Playoff Path and Why This Matters
Why do we even care about the pac 12 football standings if it’s no longer a "Power 5" league? One word: Access.
The new College Football Playoff format basically guarantees a spot for the highest-ranked conference champions outside of the Power 4. By rebuilding as an FBS conference, the Pac-12 champion essentially becomes a perennial contender for that playoff slot.
If Boise State or Washington State goes 12-1 or 11-2 and wins the league, they are almost certainly going to be in the conversation for a national title run. That’s something they might not have had if the conference had just folded entirely.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "New" Pac-12
People keep calling it "Mountain West 2.0." It’s a lazy take.
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Sure, five of the teams came from there, but the brand value, the bowl tie-ins, and the new media deal with The CW, CBS, and ESPN change the math. The conference also has a war chest of about $100 million from the legal settlement with the departing ten schools. That's a lot of "fix-it" money.
There’s also the possibility of more expansion. Rumors about UNLV or UTSA joining as a ninth football member are constantly swirling. The standings you see today are a placeholder. The standings you see in September 2026 will be the start of a whole new era of West Coast (and Texas) football.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a fan trying to stay ahead of the curve, stop looking at the old 2023 rosters. Those days are gone.
- Track the Transfer Portal: Because the "new" Pac-12 officially launches in 2026, expect a massive influx of talent to schools like Boise State and Texas State as players look to be part of the "rebirth."
- Watch The CW: That’s where a lot of these games are living now. It's weird to find football next to "Penn & Teller," but that's the new reality.
- Keep an eye on the lawsuits: The Mountain West and Pac-12 are still fighting over "poaching fees." If the Pac-12 loses a chunk of that $100 million in court, it could affect their ability to upgrade facilities and keep top coaches.
The Pac-12 isn't dead. It’s just... different. It's leaner, hungrier, and probably a lot more fun for fans who like a bit of chaos in their Saturday afternoons.
To stay updated on the race for the 2026 title, you should monitor the official Pac-12 website for the full schedule release, which is expected to drop later this year as they finalize the rotation between the eight football-playing members.