Gonzaga’s first season in the Pac-12 already has a handful of dates that jump off the page.
After 46 years in the West Coast Conference, Mark Few and the Bulldogs are set to begin a new chapter in 2026-27 as part of a nine-team Pac-12 that includes Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Oregon State, Washington State and Texas State. With a home-and-home format in league play, Gonzaga will play 16 conference games from Jan. 6 through March 6 before the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas from March 9-13.
The schedule creates plenty of chances for drama, but a few matchups stand out immediately.
It starts right away in Pullman, where Gonzaga opens Pac-12 play on the road against Washington State. That’s a fitting way to launch a conference era for two longtime local rivals who finally share a league. WSU isn’t expected to sit near the top of the standings, but this game still carries real weight as Gonzaga’s first Pac-12 test after its long run in the WCC - and it comes against a team just 75 miles away that would love to make an early statement.
The Bulldogs’ first home conference game comes Saturday, Jan. 9, when Colorado State visits Spokane. Gonzaga and the Rams have met only once before, in November 2013, when the Zags rolled to a 93-61 win.
This version figures to be far more competitive. Colorado State coach Ali Farokhmanesh returns four starters from a strong team last season, including potential All Pac-12 forward Carey Booth.
Another date with plenty of juice is Boise State’s trip to Spokane. Leon Rice spent a decade on Mark Few’s staff in Spokane, but he hasn’t been back in over 15 years since taking over as Boise State’s head coach in 2010. The programs last met in December 2000, early in Few’s tenure, which makes this reunion - and Rice’s return to Spokane - one of the most intriguing games on the league calendar.
San Diego State also belongs near the top of the must-watch list. Gonzaga’s move out of the WCC means losing the rivalry with Saint Mary’s, but a new one could take shape quickly with Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs.
SDSU is one of the few teams to beat Gonzaga more than once at the McCarthey Athletic Center, and even if the Aztecs are projected to be down after the season-ending injury to star transfer guard Nick Anderson, Viejas Arena should still be loud and hostile. This matchup has the ingredients to become the Pac-12’s defining rivalry fast.
Then there’s Utah State, which looks like the conference’s clear No. 2 team on paper and the biggest threat to Gonzaga. The Aggies also appear good enough to land an at-large bid in the expanded 76-team NCAA Tournament field.
Before the game date was even set, Utah State had already sold out the 10,270-seat Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, and it figures to be one of the toughest environments Gonzaga sees all season. The Zags have only played Utah State once, beating the Aggies in 2017, but this one looks like the conference slate’s hardest matchup.
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Gonzaga's Starting Five Battle Just Got A Lot More Complicated
Gonzagas preseason picture got a little clearer and a lot more crowded during Kraziness in the Kennel, where the program put several potential starting lineups on display and offered a glimpse of how the rotation might take shape. Oumar Ballo, Braden Huff, Davis Fogle and Isiah Harwell were among the names front and center as the Bulldogs continued sorting out who fits where heading into a season that already had some uncertainty built in.
The challenge is that the roster is still not fully settled, with Javon Bennett, Xaivian Lee, Chauncey Wiggins and Izan Almansa among the players in eligibility limbo. That leaves Mark Few and his staff with more options than answers for now, even as the first official exhibition game looms on Oct. 24 against Arkansas. The final pieces may not be in place yet, but Gonzagas starting five battle is already becoming one of the more interesting storylines of camp. [Read more 🡒]