Mark Few has never been one to duck the heavyweights, and Gonzaga’s 2026-27 non-conference slate looks built the same way even with the program’s move to the Pac-12. Ten of the Bulldogs’ 15 scheduled games come against power conference teams, and at least four of those opponents appear likely to land in the top 25.
The full picture still isn’t set, either. Gonzaga’s second and third games in the Player’s Era Festival are not known yet, and if the Zags start 3-0 they could add a fourth game, which is why the schedule feels complete at 15 even though 16 would be the maximum.
With 13 opponents known, here’s how the slate stacks up from easiest to toughest for Gonzaga.
Eastern Oregon sits at the very bottom, and for good reason. It’s the only non-D1 team on the schedule, and the NAIA program was beaten by Gonzaga by 66 and 78 points in the last two meetings. A similar kind of result would not be a shock.
Incarnate Word comes next. The Cardinals are Gonzaga’s second home game of the season, a buy game against a Southland team that has been D1 since 2013 but has managed only one winning season since 2016. They’ve also finished outside the top 250 at KenPom in nine of the last 10 years.
New Mexico State is a step up, but not by much. Once the class of the WAC, the Aggies have struggled since moving to Conference USA three years ago. They’ll be Gonzaga’s first home opponent of the season, giving the Zags a chance to clean things up after the opener against Purdue.
Cornell closes out 2026 in Spokane, and that one brings a little more credibility. Gonzaga and Big Red have never met before, and Cornell has usually been a respectable mid-major, finishing between 103 and 193 at KenPom over the last five seasons.
Montana State is next and will be Gonzaga’s final tune-up before Las Vegas. The teams haven’t played since 1997, and the Bobcats are coming off an 18-14 season and a second-place finish in the Big Sky under Matt Logie. It’s a short-rest test after LSU at the Spokane Arena.
Kansas State opens the Player’s Era Festival for Gonzaga. The Wildcats brought in Casey Alexander from Belmont after parting with Jerome Tang, and the roster looks like it may have a hard time competing in 2026-27. Still, Alexander has a history of getting more out of less, so Gonzaga can’t treat this one like a walkover in the desert.
If Gonzaga gets through that game, the Zags would then face the winner of Baylor and Alabama on Nov. 26. Both of those teams could easily be ranked in the top 25 by then.
Creighton is next on the list, and this is Gonzaga’s lone true road game in the non-conference. The Zags hammered the Bluejays by 27 at the Kennel last season, but this trip to Omaha comes with new coach Alan Huss in charge. Creighton has plenty of returning and incoming pieces, and Huss had real success at High Point before landing in Omaha.
Oregon lands in the middle of the pack, even though it’s another strong name. Gonzaga beat the Ducks by nine last year at the Moda Center in the first meeting outside an MTE between the programs in more than 40 years.
This time, Gonzaga will “host” Oregon at Climate Pledge Arena for a late Battle in Seattle. Oregon’s roster has been rebuilt and should be better than it was last year.
LSU is a tougher call because so much still depends on eligibility. Gonzaga and LSU have never played before, and the Tigers have become a familiar Spokane Arena opponent for the Zags after games against Oklahoma and Kentucky.
Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark from UCLA are both eligible for now, along with former St. John’s guard RJ Luis, but that could change before the mid-November tip.
Will Wade gives LSU a solid coaching edge, and this should at least be a decent team.
UCLA brings the kind of matchup that usually delivers exactly what you expect: physical, tense, and very hard to separate. Mark Few and Mick Cronin will meet for the seventh straight year, this time at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Gonzaga beat UCLA in Seattle by 10 last season, while the Bruins got the win the year before.
Purdue opens the season at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and even with the Boilers missing Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn, this is still one of the toughest games on the schedule. CJ Cox, Omer Mayer, and Daniel Jacobsen give Matt Painter a strong core, and the fact that it comes right out of the gate only raises the degree of difficulty. Gonzaga is 0-5 all-time against Purdue.
Michigan State checks in as the second-hardest game, and that one will be played in Palm Springs for the Hall of Fame series. It adds another meeting between two longtime friends and active Hall of Famers, and the Spartans are expected to start the season ranked in the top ten after bringing back guard Jeremy Fears and forward Coen Carr.
Duke sits at the top. Gonzaga and the Blue Devils won’t meet until Feb. 20, 2027, in Detroit, a much later date than usual and one that lands just weeks before Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament. The game is part of a Duke-Amazon deal and stands out as one of the most anticipated non-conference matchups of the season, with a real chance for Gonzaga to strengthen its resume right before March.
In Other News...
Gonzagas 2027 Class Suddenly Carries Bigger Expectations
Gonzaga is already building out its 2027 recruiting board, and the class has taken on a little more shape with Dooney Johnson on board as the lone commit. Johnson has drawn attention in summer events, where his play has helped reinforce why he sits No. 11 in the latest Rivals update, and the comparisons to former Zag Zach Norvell only add to the intrigue around what he could become in Spokane.
The bigger question now is how the Bulldogs finish the class around him. Gonzaga remains in the mix with top-50 prospects Jalen Davis and Gene Roebuck, both of whom are still in contact with the staff and weighing the Bulldogs alongside other programs. For a program that has long made its name by identifying and landing the right pieces early, the rest of the 2027 cycle suddenly feels like it could matter a lot more than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]