Boise State has spent the last two-plus seasons doing what good programs do: handling business in the Mountain West. Under Spencer Danielson, the Broncos are 19-2 in conference play and have already piled up three Mountain West championships.
Now the challenge changes. Boise State is moving into the rebuilt Pac-12, where the old Mountain West familiarity comes with a new layer of danger.
Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State are coming along too, while Oregon State, Texas State and Washington State join the mix. Boise State Broncos On SI already looked at the three teams Boise State should be most concerned about in 2026.
The bigger question may be who is positioned to become a real problem in 2027 and beyond.
Colorado State is one of the clearest names to watch. The Rams have not won a conference title since Sonny Lubick led them to three Mountain West championships in four seasons from 1999 to 2002.
They fired Jay Norvell after seven games last season on the way to a 2-10 finish, but then made a major move by hiring Jim Mora before entering the Pac-12. Mora, a former NFL head coach who also spent six years at UCLA, went 9-3 in back-to-back seasons at UConn in 2024-25.
He now stands as the highest-paid coach in the new Pac-12, and Colorado State also has one of the league’s strongest facilities in Canvas Stadium. The Rams are not projected to contend in 2026, but they could start pushing for Pac-12 titles as soon as next year.
Oregon State is another team that could climb quickly. Before realignment tore apart the old Pac-12, the Beavers were surging under Jonathan Smith.
They won 10 games in 2022 and reached the top 10 during the 2023 season. Smith left for Michigan State in November 2023, and everything unraveled after that.
Trent Bray, like Norvell, was dismissed after seven games last season and finished 5-14 overall. Oregon State then went 2-10 in 2025.
The new era now belongs to JaMarcus Shephard, who has worked under Mike Leach, Jeff Brohm and Kalen DeBoer. He also helped build the Michael Penix Jr.-led passing attack that carried Washington to the national championship game in 2023.
With a renovated stadium and a solid NIL budget, the Beavers may need a year or two to settle in, but they look like a program that can become a real obstacle for Boise State soon enough.
Washington State brings a different kind of uncertainty, but also real upside. The Cougars are already on their third head coach in three seasons after losing Jake Dickert to Wake Forest and Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State in back-to-back years.
Kirby Moore is the latest man in charge, arriving after three seasons as Missouri’s offensive coordinator. Moore, a former Boise State receiver and the younger brother of Kellen Moore, oversaw a huge roster turnover, with nearly 60 outgoing transfers and 28 newcomers.
Some of those arrivals should matter right away, including quarterback Caden Pinnick, who came over from UC Davis. Washington State finished 6-6 last year, but it spent much of the 2024 season in the top 25 and had College Football Playoff hopes before a late-season slide.
Pullman is always a tough place to recruit, but the Cougars seem to be moving in the right direction with Moore.
In Other News...
Boise State Home Games Are About To Look Very Different
Boise State fans who have gotten used to a fairly traditional look on the blue turf are about to see a different kind of visual footprint at home. Progressive has signed a multiyear sponsorship deal that will put its logo on the football fields of 13 college programs, with Learfield brokering the agreement and adding in-game video board features, in-venue LED signage and digital media integrations to the package.
The branding is slated to arrive in 2026, which means the Broncos will be part of a broader rollout that also includes USC and other schools. For Boise State, it is another reminder that even a program with one of college footballs most recognizable home fields is now being pulled into the sports growing appetite for commercial inventory. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Pac-12 Move Just Cleared A Massive Financial Hurdle
The legal fight over Boise States path to the Pac-12 has finally been put to bed. The Mountain West Conference, the Pac-12 and five departing schools reached a settlement that resolves the litigation tied to the move, ending a dispute that had lingered for nearly three years and had kept a major piece of conference realignment in limbo.
For Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, the agreement clears the way to move forward while sorting out the financial terms behind the exit. The settlement includes exit fees, withheld distributions and possible poaching penalties, giving both leagues and the schools a final framework after a long standoff that had threatened to stretch on even longer. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Freshmen Are Already Forcing A Big Oregon Week Decision
Boise States highest-rated recruiting class in program history is already doing more than filling out the future. During fall camp, several freshmen have put themselves into the conversation for real roles, giving the staff a first look at how quickly the 2026 group can translate recruiting buzz into game-ready depth. Jones, Favors, Browne, Taylor and Soliai have all been part of that evaluation, with coaches sorting through readiness, physical traits and where each player fits best.
The early returns matter because Boise State does not have the luxury of waiting long to sort out its young talent. Some of these freshmen are pushing toward immediate contribution, and the way they handle camp will shape how much trust the Broncos can place in them when the season begins. There is already a sense that one of the biggest decisions of the opening stretch could come before the Broncos ever settle into the fall, which makes this a class worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]