Boise State enters the first season of the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference as the preseason favorite, according to the league’s media poll.
The Broncos collected 14 first-place votes and 19 total points, putting them well ahead of the rest of the field. San Diego State landed second with one first-place vote and 38 points, while Fresno State also picked up one first-place vote and finished third with 50 points.
Texas State was fourth with 63 points, followed by Washington State at 77. Colorado State and Utah State tied for sixth with 107 points apiece, and Oregon State was picked to finish eighth with 115 points.
The Beavers’ position in the poll comes after a 4-8 season. Oregon State quarterback Gabarri Johnson, who is listed as a defensive player of the year candidate, received first-team preseason recognition, and the Beavers had three players named to the preseason first team.
Boise State’s Jaden Mickens and Washington State’s Matyus McClain each earned one vote apiece. Fresno State’s Spencer Danielson was voted the preseason coach of the year, entering his third full season leading the Broncos and holding a record of 24-7.
Colorado State’s Jim Mora and San Diego State’s Sean Lewis each received two votes. Fresno State’s Matt Entz and Texas State’s GJ Kinne got one vote each.
The poll was organized by Tyler King of the Denver Gazette. The other voters were Kevin Lytle, Justin Michael, Caleb Yum, Kirk Kenney, Chris Vannini, Greg Woods, Les Gehrett, Jason Walker, Patrick Mayhorn, Jamey Vinnick, Nathan Carroll, B.J. Rains, Jackson Moore, Keff Ciardello and Al Scott.
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Former Beavers Are Making Their Mark All Over MLB
The latest run of major league highlights from former Oregon State players has been hard to miss. Matt Boyd and Drew Rasmussen each delivered seven-inning shutouts in recent games, a reminder of how much pitching talent has flowed through Corvallis and how quickly that Beaver pipeline can show up on a big league box score. Both arms have been especially sharp lately, with Boyd looking effective since returning from injury and Rasmussen building momentum over his last few starts.
The offensive side of the ledger has been just as busy, with Wade Meckler and Trevor Larnach each leaving the yard on solo homers over the weekend. Even beyond the power swings, former Beavers are stacking up meaningful contributions across MLB, from Boyds steady comeback to Rasmussens run of efficiency and Kwans notable jump at the plate since the All-Star break. It is the kind of spread-out success that keeps Oregon State fans checking scores all over the league. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Could Be The First Test Oklahoma State Can't Afford To Fail
Oklahoma States place in the preseason Coaches Poll did not come with much ceremony, but it did say something about where the Cowboys stand heading into the year. They landed in the others receiving votes group with 22 points, which put them unofficially 37th, and the poll also pegged them for a seventh-place finish in the Big 12. For a program that was last in the Coaches Poll during week five of 2024, when it checked in at No. 20, there is still plenty of work to do before anyone is talking about it as a league contender again.
The schedule does not offer much margin for easing in. Oklahoma State has ranked matchups ahead against Oregon, Houston and Texas Tech, the kind of stretch that can quickly shape how the season is viewed outside Stillwater. If the Cowboys are going to climb out of that middle tier and back into the conversation, they will need to treat every one of those games like a measuring stick, starting with the first chance to prove the poll wrong. [Read more 🡒]
