The Pac-12 finalized its soccer lineup this week by including Texas State as a full member of the new-look convention, set to launch in 2026. The addition brings the Pac-12 to eight football-playing faculties — the minimal required for bowl tie-ins and potential College Football Playoff entry.
Maintaining the Pac-12 intact after the exodus to the ACC, Large Ten and Large 12 was a strategic resolution by remaining members Oregon State and Washington State. With a legacy model and the suitable growth candidates, the Pac-12 may reemerge from the realignment chaos as a top-five soccer convention.
The primary transfer got here final fall, when the Pac-12 added 5 of the Mountain West’s most distinguished packages. The additions of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State made sense regionally and strengthened the league’s degree of competitors. These faculties have mixed to win 11 of the final 12 Mountain West titles and have crammed 18 of the 24 spots within the convention championship recreation over that span.
Texas State was the ultimate piece. Whereas the Bobcats lack the FBS pedigree of their future convention mates, they create an extended program historical past and have discovered latest success beneath coach G.J. Kinne. The college has posted back-to-back eight-win seasons and seen an increase in attendance, signaling optimistic momentum. Although not a geographic fit just like the Mountain West additions, Texas State is a program on the rise.
This is not a case of “take the verify, take the losses.” Each new Pac-12 member expects to compete for championships from Day 1. So how do these packages examine? Within the switch portal period, it is powerful to foretell what rosters will seem like a 12 months from now — however primarily based on present kind, latest success and future outlook, we are able to supply an early energy rating of the reimagined league. We’ll revisit the listing after the 2025 season, however with a 12 months nonetheless to go, this is how the new-look Pac-12 stacks up in soccer.
1. Boise State
Final convention championship: 2024
Report final 3 years: 30-12
The star of the new-look Pac-12 has been a constant winner for the final 25 years, simply logged its first Faculty Soccer Playoff look and had its finest participant end because the runner-up within the Heisman Trophy voting. Whereas the Broncos shall be a pair years faraway from Ashton Jeanty’s historic 2024 season after they be a part of the league, the usual and pedigree of Boise State soccer within the twenty first Century shouldn’t be solely tops amongst this group however has a spot among the many most spectacular runs in your complete sport. Since 1999, the Broncos have 16 convention titles, 14 AP High 25 finishes (5 as a top-10 group) and no years with a shedding report. Most of those groups have been competing for, or successful convention titles in recent times — however none have received constantly for a quarter-century with no dip in outcomes.
2. Fresno State
Final convention championship: 2022
Report final 3 years: 25-15
Fresno State has had some “arduous reset” years with its soccer program, however every new coach has discovered his manner again to competing for convention championships. That is what makes the Bulldogs’ future outlook so shiny, because the rent of Matt Entz indicators a dedication to proceed that customary within the new-look Pac-12. Entz received two nationwide championships as a head coach for North Dakota State (2019, 21) after serving because the defensive coordinator for a run of 4 titles in 5 years with the Bison between 2014-18. After two years as an assistant head coach at USC with Lincoln Riley, the two-time FCS Coach of the 12 months is again to working his personal program, and like NDSU he is not coping with a rebuilding undertaking. Nobody is evaluating Fresno’s common bowl eligibility to North Dakota State’s FCS dynasty, however in the same method it is honest to anticipate Entz to have this group able to compete as soon as the expanded Pac-12 kicks off in 2026.
3. Texas State
Final convention championship: 2008 (FCS Southland)
Report final 3 years: 17-18
Texas State made the leap from FCS to FBS in 2012, however solely beneath G.J. Kinne have the Bobcats have discovered postseason success to reflect what this system did on the FCS and D2 ranges in different a long time. The one FBS bowl appearances ever for Texas State have been First Responder Bowl wins on the finish of every of the final two seasons. Whereas it’s important to return to 2008 within the Southland Convention to seek out this system’s final league title, it appears pointed in the suitable path. Because the lone Texas faculty within the Pac-12 will probably be attention-grabbing to see how recruiting is impacted by the convention transfer, however proper now the roster is loaded up with gamers who began elsewhere after taking 30-plus switch portal additions in every of the final three offseasons.
4. San Diego State
Final convention championship: 2016
Report final 3 years: 14-23
From 2010-2022, each full season of San Diego State soccer (aside from the COVID-shortened 2020 marketing campaign) resulted in a bowl look. That 12-year run included three convention titles and not less than a share of six division championships. There was an identification to that period, and now followers are hoping the DNA of championship success stays even when the group is transitioning coaches and conferences. Sean Lewis went 3-9 in his first season with the Aztecs — this system’s worst report since 2008 — however he is earned some persistence because of his skill to tug Kent State out of the gutter the final time he was a head coach. The Flashes had a successful report in MAC play (19-17) throughout Lewis’ 5 seasons, together with two of the college’s 5 bowl appearances and the lone bowl victory. San Diego State has latest historical past to lean on, so as soon as the type and scheme adjustments discover their match, this group must be again within the combine frequently.
5. Washington State
Final convention championship: 2002
Report final 3 years: 20-18
Mike Leach restored respectability to a program that went a decade and not using a bowl look from 2003-13, and peaked with a top-10 end and 11-win season in 2018 earlier than leaving for Mississippi State. It is a program that may compete and win Pac-12 Championships within the new period, however not like a few of the different packages within the league there’s not a historic excessive flooring. Washington State can peak, sure, however it could additionally backside out. Since 2004 there have been extra seasons with double-digit losses (three) than double-digit wins (one). Because the Cougars put together for 2025, they’ve one of many lowest returning manufacturing scores within the nation, per ESPN’s Invoice Connelly. The excellent news for Wazzu’s outlook is what appears to be a stellar rent after Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest. Jimmy Rogers is a former all-conference linebacker at South Dakota State who joined the teaching employees at his alma mater and took half in a run of FCS dominance. He was the FCS Coordinator of the 12 months in 2022 because the Jackrabbits received the nationwide championshi. He then took over as head coach in 2023 he led this system on one other nationwide title run. Rogers, 38, has a 27-3 report as a head coach and seems to have the teaching chops required to assist Washington State get reacclimatized to its new actuality within the re-built Pac-12.
6.Utah State
Final convention championship: 2021
Report final 3 years: 16-22
Three totally different head coaches have led Utah State to top-25 finishes since 2010, reinforcing the concept that it is a program able to competing for championships when issues are aligned. Final season’s 4-8 report might be partially attributed to that alignment falling aside — from the offseason firing of Blake Anderson to a lame-duck 12 months beneath an interim coach.
The hope now’s that Bronco Mendenhall, the previous BYU coach who additionally led Virginia to an ACC Championship Sport, can restore stability and put the Aggies again within the dialog as a contender within the new-look Pac-12. The roster might have one other 12 months of growth earlier than outcomes present within the standings, however that timeline may align completely with Utah State’s arrival within the convention subsequent summer time.7.
Oregon State
Final convention championship: 2000
Report final 3 years: 23-15
Technically, Oregon State additionally will get to assert the 2024 Pac-12 title because of its head-to-head win in opposition to Washington State in Corvallis on Nov. 23. So congrats to the Beavers, however we’re in search of extra a full-field win for our evaluation that may take us again to the start of the century. Issues have been good not too long ago, although, with Jonathan Smith working off three straight bowl seasons and a top-25 end simply earlier than leaving for Michigan State on the finish of 2023. Trent Bray steadied the ship after Smith’s exit however the 5-7 report — the place the spotlight was in all probability taking out Washington State to snap a five-game shedding streak — advised extra rebuilding years sooner or later. Now just a little extra skilled, Bray hopes this 12 months’s Beavers’ group can bounce again rapidly and be able to hit the bottom working within the expanded Pac-12.
8. Colorado State
Final convention championship: 2002
Report final 3 years: 16-21
In 2013, Jim McElwain received eight video games with Colorado State. He adopted that up with a 10-2 common season report in 2014. On the time, the college was elevating cash for a brand new soccer stadium (Canvas Stadium, opened in 2017) and momentum was constructing for Colorado State to enter an period of rivalry. As a substitute, it was the other. These two seasons had been the one ones between 2002-24 by which Colorado State received greater than seven video games. Jay Norvell broke that run final 12 months with an 8-4 common season, highlighted by a 6-1 displaying in convention play and this system’s first bowl recreation since 2017. It is a credit score to Norvell’s efforts that he has elevated the win whole in all three of his seasons, and the hope is postseason appearances will turn into extra of the expectation somewhat than a footnote worthy of particular celebration.