Pac-12, at a glance.
Top 10 by power rating — 2026 season, through the latest games.
Team
Power
Record
RR50
Home Conferences FBS 2026 season
VERDICT BEGINS · 2026
Pac-12
Two Conferences in One
The 2026 Pac-12 season is underway — Boise State holds the early power lead, but the picture is still open.
Pac-12 reads like a weekly gauntlet. The middle of the league is strong enough that contenders do not get many breathers.
#4overall
#4in FBS
+20.0RR50
+22.6upper strength
8teams
0top-25 teams
Power snapshot
Projected 2026 standing
Two Conferences in One
Oregon went 13-2 in 2025 and holds the Pac-12's highest SP+ rating (#6 nationally) entering 2026. Meanwhile, Colorado went 3-9 with a recruiting class ranked #37 — the conference's largest coaching gap (-76). UCLA finished 3-9 with a #46 class (-73 gap). The Pac-12 has a genuine national title contender at the top and a credibility crisis at the bottom, with almost nothing in between.
0 top-25 teams.
The depth argument for this conference rests on how many credible opponents are clustered behind the leader. The gap between the top and bottom is narrow — a sign of genuine parity.
Where things stand right now.
The 2026 Pac-12 season is underway — Boise State holds the early power lead, but the picture is still open.
The ContenderOregon Is the Pac-12's Case for National Relevance
Oregon went 13-2 in 2025 with a recruiting class ranked #5 nationally — the only Pac-12 program that can claim elite talent AND elite results. Their SP+ rating of #6 puts them in the conversation with Georgia, Ohio State, and the conference's strongest programs nationally. If the Pac-12 is going to earn CFP credibility, Oregon is the argument. Whether the conference's bottom tier holds them back in the committee room is the one thing they can't control.
Why it matters →
The Coaching StoryUtah Went 11-2 With the 40th Recruiting Class
Utah's coaching premium is +31: a #40 recruiting class produced an 11-2 season and an SP+ ranking of #9 nationally. Kyle Whittingham's program has operated this way for a decade — winning more games than their talent should allow, competing in January, and never landing a top-20 recruiting class. If Utah beats Oregon in 2026, they become the Pac-12's most interesting program.
Why it matters →
The QuestionColorado Recruited at #37. They Went 3-9.
Colorado's coaching gap is -76: a #37 recruiting class produced a 3-9 season and an SP+ ranking of #113. That's the Pac-12's worst ratio of talent to results — and among the worst in FBS. UCLA runs a similar problem (-73 gap, 3-9). Stanford went 4-8 with a #56 class (-48). The Pac-12's bottom tier is recruiting Power Four talent and losing like a Group of Five program, which is its own kind of crisis.
Why it matters →Active arcs our read
Hot8mo ago
Washington State vs. Kansas State (Sep 12, 2026) Live Score - ESPN
Can Colorado State secure a win against Boise State?
Texas StateColorado State
Developing2wk ago
Memphis' Jaylin Carter leads 4-TD rout over Arkansas State
Can Arkansas State recover from a strong opening loss?
Boise State
Developing1wk ago
Washington Struggles Offensively in Narrow 16-14 Win Over Utah State
Can Washington's offensive struggles be resolved before the season becomes uncompetitive?
Utah State
Developing2wk ago
Fresno State Begins 2026 Season Against No. 14 USC in Pac-12 Opener
Can Fresno State's young team compete with a ranked USC squad in their first game of the season?
Fresno State
Developing2wk ago
Arch Manning Recounts Viral Tunnel Tumble Before Texas State Game
Will Arch Manning's pregame mishap affect his performance against Texas State?
Texas State
Fan pulse
21% positive
46% neutral
33% negative
Boise State
1,454
↓ negative
Oregon State
447
→ neutral
Washington State
313
↓ negative
San Diego State
215
→ neutral
Fresno State
164
→ neutral
Texas State
124
↓ negative
Fan confidence — FBS percentile
Where each Pac-12 program stands nationally in fan sentiment (100th = most positive in FBS, 0 = least). Conference median: 37th percentile.
Most volatile: Texas State
Fan confidence has swung 58 percentile points in the last 8 weeks — currently at the 36th percentile nationally.
The coaching premium
Recruiting class rank vs. SP+ performance — where coaches add or subtract value
Above line = coaching premium
Below line = underperforming
Gap = recruiting rank minus SP+ rank
Positive gap means the coaching staff won more than the recruiting class predicted. Data: Pac-12 teams, 8 programs.
Standings
2026 season, in progress — sorted by power rating. Stature tag = interim Zeitgeist calibration (medium confidence).
| # | Team | Record | RR50 | Resume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Boise StatePower Program III#26
|
2-1 | +23.5 | +92.8 |
| 2 |
Texas StateRegional Program III#98
|
1-2 | +22.2 | +59.5 |
| 3 |
Washington StateRegional Program I#76
|
1-2 | +21.2 | +36.0 |
| 4 |
Fresno StateNational Program III#62
|
2-1 | +20.4 | +70.5 |
| 5 |
San Diego StateRegional Program I#77
|
1-2 | +20.1 | +15.9 |
| 6 |
Utah StateRegional Program III#99
|
0-3 | +19.6 | +20.4 |
| 7 |
Oregon StateRegional Program I#85
|
1-2 | +19.5 | +84.3 |
| 8 |
Colorado StateRegional Program IV#117
|
2-1 | +17.9 | +82.6 |
Projected Standings · Pac-12 · 2026
Win Projection
Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.
| # | Team | W–L | PWR | AVG | ≥7 | ≥6 | ≥5 | ≥4 | ≥3 | ≥2 | ≥1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorites | |||||||||||
| 1 | Boise State | 4–3 | +2.9 | 4.1 | 2 | 14 | 39 | 68 | 89 | 98 | ✓ |
| 2 | Texas State | 4–3 | +1.7 | 3.9 | 1 | 10 | 32 | 61 | 85 | 97 | ✓ |
| Challengers | |||||||||||
| 3 | Washington State | 4–3 | +0.6 | 3.6 | 1 | 7 | 24 | 52 | 79 | 94 | 99 |
| 4 | Fresno State | 3–4 | -0.1 | 3.4 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 47 | 76 | 93 | 99 |
| The Field | |||||||||||
| 5 | San Diego State | 3–4 | -0.4 | 3.5 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 49 | 77 | 94 | 99 |
| 6 | Utah State | 3–4 | -1.0 | 3.3 | 4 | 17 | 43 | 72 | 92 | 99 | |
| Rebuilding | |||||||||||
| 7 | Oregon State | 3–4 | -1.1 | 3.4 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 46 | 74 | 93 | 99 |
| 8 | Colorado State | 3–4 | -2.6 | 3.0 | 2 | 12 | 33 | 63 | 87 | 98 | |
How they play
Six advanced-stat dimensions per team, ranked against all 134 FBS programs, 2026 season. Every column reads higher-is-better. Click a column to sort.
ScoringConvertsBig playsDefensePacePass rate
| Team | Scoring | Converts | Defense | Identity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State | +0.29 | 48.6% | -0.10 | Balanced |
| Texas State | +0.27 | 49.2% | -0.30 | Defense is the problem |
| Washington State | +0.01 | 37.1% | +0.05 | Grind-it-out |
| Fresno State | +0.03 | 33.5% | +0.01 | Can't sustain drives |
| San Diego State | -0.03 | 36.2% | -0.10 | Can't sustain drives |
| Utah State | -0.10 | 32.5% | -0.08 | Can't sustain drives |
| Oregon State | +0.29 | 40.3% | -0.19 | Big-play offense |
| Colorado State | +0.26 | 45.0% | -0.10 | Big-play offense |
Identity is the single dimension where a team is most above or below the FBS average (pace, defense, big plays, or converting drives) — "Balanced" means nothing stands out either way. CFBD 2026 advanced stats, excludes garbage time.
Top players
Pac-12's highest CFB Index Scores, 2025 season.
| # | Player | Team | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caleb FranclLB | Washington State | #60 of 583 |
| 2 | Bryson LambIDL | Washington State | #62 of 330 |
| 3 | Trent WalkerWR | Oregon State | #75 of 485 |
| 4 | Parker McKennaLB | Washington State | #134 of 583 |
| 5 | Jaheim PattersonS | Oregon State | #115 of 544 |
| 6 | Isaac TerrellEDGE | Washington State | #109 of 420 |
| 7 | Josh MeredithWR | Washington State | #96 of 485 |
| 8 | Skyler ThomasS | Oregon State | #125 of 544 |
| 9 | Buddha PeletiEDGE | Washington State | #166 of 420 |
| 10 | Colby HumphreyCB | Washington State | #144 of 364 |
Where Pac-12 stands nationally
Conference strength by RR50 (round-robin adjusted power).
1
SEC
SEC
+23.0
2
B10
Big Ten
+21.8
3
IND
FBS Independents
+20.5
4
P12
Pac-12
+20.0
5
B12
Big 12
+20.0
6
ACC
ACC
+19.4
7
AAC
American Athletic
+17.6
8
SB
Sun Belt
+17.2
9
CUSA
Conference USA
+16.7
10
MAC
Mid-American
+16.2