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...
Oregon State Camp Battle Is Heating Up Around Two Intriguing Receivers
Fall camp is giving Oregon State a clearer look at where the roster competition really stands, and a couple of receivers are starting to separate themselves from the pack. Mercer transfer Adonis McDaniel has been working his way back into practice after the spring injury that interrupted his offseason, while slot receiver Xayvion Noland has been one of the more visible playmakers as the Beavers sort out their passing-game rotation.
The bigger picture for Oregon State is not just getting bodies back on the field, but finding dependable options who can help shape the offense once the games count. McDaniels progress adds an intriguing layer to the battle, and Nolands recent scrimmage production has only raised the stakes for a group that still has to prove who can earn steady snaps. With camp still unfolding, there is plenty left to settle before the depth chart feels anything close to final. [Read more 🡒]
Former Beavers Are Battling For NFL Jobs And One Just Stood Out
Former Beavers spent the preseason making cases for themselves across the NFL, with a few trying to turn camp momentum into something more permanent. Brennan Presley gave the Rams a useful glimpse of what he can bring in the passing game, Mason Rudolph was sharp enough to keep the Steelers offense moving, and Tay Martin earned first-team looks with the Lions as teams sorted out the bottom of their rosters.
Ollie Gordons night with Miami was more uneven, with the kind of mistake that can quickly change a players standing in August. Emmanuel Ogbah, meanwhile, is back where he had already built familiarity, having signed a one-year deal to return to Kansas City, which only adds to the sense that former Oregon State players are spread across the league fighting for different kinds of opportunities. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Faces A Delicate Aiden Sullivan Decision Ahead
Aiden Sullivan has stayed on the field through Oregon States summer work, even as his legal situation continues to cast a shadow over the program. The redshirt freshman pleaded not guilty after an alleged April incident, and the next status hearing is set for Aug. 25, leaving the Beavers to manage a situation that goes well beyond the usual preseason noise.
Coach JaMarcus Shephard has said the team supports Sullivan, while also pointing to the personal conduct language in player contracts if the program ever needs to use it. For Oregon State, the challenge is less about football fit than how to handle a key defender whose presence in practice keeps him involved with the team, but whose case still sits unresolved as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]