Gonzaga’s first season in the rebuilt Pac-12 comes with a familiar sight at the top of the league: the Zags were the runaway favorite in the conference’s inaugural preseason media poll.
Mark Few’s team collected all 17 first-place votes, a clean sweep that instantly sets the tone for the new-look league. Utah State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Oregon State followed in the top five, with Boise State, Texas State, Washington State and Fresno State filling out the rest of the nine-team poll.
Preseason Pac-12 media poll: 1.
Gonzaga (17) 2.
Utah State 3.
San Diego State 4.
Colorado State 5.
Oregon State 6.
Boise State 7.
Texas State 8.
Washington State 9.
Fresno State
The conference’s makeover is a major one. Gonzaga is joining the reborn Pac-12 after nearly 50 years in the West Coast Conference, and it’s now grouped with Oregon State and Washington State, Texas State, and five former Mountain West programs: San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise State and Fresno State.
Even with that deeper competition, Gonzaga didn’t budge from its usual preseason perch. The program has been picked first in every conference preseason poll since 2001, with only two exceptions: 2017-18 and 2023-24. In those seasons, Gonzaga still produced strong league results, going 17-1 in 2017-18 and 14-2 in 2023-24.
The broader national buzz also points to a gap at the top of the Pac-12 race. Gonzaga checked in at No. 15 in the preseason AP Poll, while Utah State received two votes total.
On the floor, Gonzaga’s case starts with depth and versatility. Braden Huff and Davis Fogle are back to supply efficient offense, while Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop gives the Zags a strong presence at the rim. Florida transfer Xaivian Lee brings playmaking and transition scoring, and Houston transfer Isiah Harwell is being positioned for a big sophomore leap.
There’s more intrigue behind them, too. Spanish big man Izan Almansa has already given the roster a surprise boost, and young players Luca Foster and Juwan Ekanga add upside to a group that looks built to handle a conference race and more.
The league’s coaches also released a Player Impact List, with two players from each team earning preseason recognition. Gonzaga’s selections were Huff and Fogle, which fits given that both have already landed on national preseason award watch lists. Fogle is in the mix for the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s best small forward, while Huff is up for the Karl Malone Award at power forward.
Huff’s numbers from last season explain the respect. He averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds before a knee injury ended his year early. Fogle, meanwhile, carved out an important role right away as a true freshman, putting up 8.6 points in 16.7 minutes per game.
Gonzaga opens the season on Monday, Nov. 2, against Purdue. Tipoff is set for 4:30 PM PT at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the game airing on TNT and HBO MAX.
In Other News...
WSUs Best Chance At A Breakthrough Win Comes Down To One Thing
Washington State heads into a road game against San Diego State with a chance to make some real progress against a defense that has struggled badly this season. Owen Eshelmans last start gave the Cougars reason to believe the offense can function with him at quarterback, even with the interception, and the setup feels straightforward enough: protect him, keep the attack on schedule and make a vulnerable opponent pay for mistakes.
The problem is that the Cougars still need the pieces around Eshelman to hold up, starting with the offensive line and the backs trying to hit open lanes. The passing game has also been trimmed down to a small group of reliable targets, which puts even more pressure on every snap to go smoothly and leaves little margin if San Diego State is able to tighten things up early. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces A Quarterback Test With Bigger Stakes Than Usual
Washington State is heading into another quarterback matchup defined by youth and necessity, with the Cougars set to lean on redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman for a third straight start. It is a familiar kind of midseason pressure point for a program trying to settle itself under center, and it comes against a San Diego State team facing its own QB uncertainty after Sean Lewis said redshirt freshman Stone Saunders will get the nod again.
The wrinkle is that both sides are asking young passers to handle real stakes, not just reps. San Diego State is chasing bowl eligibility and needs to stack wins down the stretch, while Washington State is still sorting out the depth chart after Eshelman moved ahead of Caden Pinnick. In a game like this, the quarterback who looks the most composed could end up tilting everything, even before either staff knows exactly what it has. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Heads Into SDSU With Two Key Question Marks Still Looming
Washington States latest injury report brought some welcome movement heading into its trip to San Diego State, with a pair of names no longer showing up at all. Left tackle Ashton Tripp and linebacker Carsten Reynolds have cleared the report, while linebacker Nylan Brown remains out for the season, leaving the Cougars with a better look up front and on defense as they prepare for a tricky road game.
Still, the report is not clean yet. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons and safety Jeremiah Bernard are the two Cougars listed as questionable, leaving a couple of important spots in limbo as WSU works through the final stretch before kickoff. San Diego State has its own list of probable, questionable, doubtful and out players, and the Pac-12 also announced a schedule for public release of player availability reports beginning in 2026, a sign that this sort of pregame uncertainty is becoming even more formalized across the league. [Read more 🡒]