After a two-year hiatus, the Pac-12 is officially back! But there have been plenty of changes among its new membership, with just Oregon State and Washington State back from its previous makeup of teams. Seven programs from the Mountain West, Sun Belt and WCC have joined to form its current nine-team group.
Who are the preseason favorites in the Pac-12? Here’s a look at the key teams to watch in the league’s return campaign.
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
2025-26: 31-4 (16-2 WCC)
Key players: Braden Huff, 6-foot-10 senior forward, 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds per game; Davis Fogle, 6-foot-7 sophomore guard, 8.6 points per game; Massamba Diop, 7-foot-1 sophomore center, 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds per game (Arizona State); Izan Almansa, 6-foot-11 junior forward, four-star international prospect;
The Bulldogs dominated the WCC for the past 20-plus years and brought their top-10 roster over to the Pac-12. Huff and Diop give them one of the best frontcourt duos in the country, while former five-star prospect and 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Isiah Harwell is a breakout candidate. Even with three potential rotation pieces with pending eligibility cases that could keep them off the floor, Gonzaga’s eligible players are simply above the rest of the Pac-12.
2. Utah State Aggies
2025-26: 29-7 (15-5 Mountain West)
Key players: Mason Falslev, 6-foot-3 senior guard, 16 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game; Karson Templin, 6-foot-8 senior forward, 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds per game; Will Hornseth, 6-foot-8 junior forward, 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds per game (Northern Iowa); Connor Turnbull, 6-foot-10 senior forward, 11.5 points, 6.1 rebounds per game (Evansville)
The biggest threat to Gonzaga are the Aggies, led by former Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobsen. He retained last year’s Mountain West Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year in Falslev and Templin, respectively, while adding good frontcourt depth from multiple Missouri Valley Conference programs. Can Utah State keep its prestige as one of the best programs out west after yet another coaching change?
3. San Diego State Aztecs
2025-26: 22-11 (14-6 Mountain West)
Key players: Elzie Harrington, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, 8.0 points per game; Tae Simmons, 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds per game; Chance Gladden, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, 14.4 points, 4.5 assists per game (Boston U); Isaiah Sy, 6-foot-7 senior forward, 10 points, 4.6 rebounds per game (Oregon State)
Coach Brian Dutcher has consistently had the Aztecs as a premier defensive unit and that should remain the case. But the offense is the big question. Can Harrington take the role as the breakout lead scorer for the program or will it have to be another collective effort on that end? They’ll need some production from a highly-touted five-man freshman class to help raise their ceiling.
4. Oregon State Beavers
2025-26: 17-16 (9-9 WCC)
Key players: Josiah Lake, 6-foot-2 senior guard, 13.1 points, 4.2 assists per game; Daniel Freitag, 6-foot-2 junior guard, 19.8 points per game (Buffalo); Legend Smiley, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, 8.1 points per game (San Francisco); DeShawn Gory, 6-foot-6 sophomore guard, 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds per game (Fresno State)
First-year head coach Justin Joiner has had an impressive start with the Beavers, including an exhibition win over Cal. Lake was one of the top guards in the WCC last season and returns as the go-to guy, while Freitag adds more perimeter firepower. The X-factors lie in the frontcourt, with former top-50 prospects Xavier Staton and Dennis Evans looking for larger roles.
5. Boise State Broncos
2025-26: 20-12 (12-8 Mountain West)
Key players: Pearson Carmichael, 6-foot-7 junior forward, 7.9 points per game; Aginaldo Neto, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, 4.3 points per game; Damari Wheeler-Thomas, 6-foot senior guard, 14.5 points per game (North Dakota State); Dovydas Butka, 6-foot-9 senior forward, 13.9 points, 8.5 rebounds per game (Campbell)
Coach Leon Rice has consistently had Boise State in the NCAA Tournament mix but it could be harder in the Pac-12. After losing all of their key pieces, the Broncos are hoping some of the returning rotation pieces will thrive in their larger roles, while Wheeler-Thomas and Butka were the two star transfer pickups and potential focal points. Shooting won’t be a concern but will the defense be good enough?
6. Colorado State Rams
2025-26: 21-13 (11-9 Mountain West)
Key players: Kyle Jorgensen, 6-foot-9 junior forward, 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds per game; Carey Booth, 6-foot-10 senior forward, 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds per game; Josh Pascarelli, 6-foot-3 senior guard, 10.2 points per game; Jase Butler, 6-foot-4 junior guard, 9.3 points per game
The Rams bring back four starters from last year’s 21-win squad, with Booth set to be one of the top frontcourt players in the Pac-12. They’re all quality shooters, with all four shooting above 40 percent from three-point range last year. But as the exhibition loss to San Diego showed, Colorado State will remain heavily reliant on the three-point shot to win games.
7. Texas State Bobcats
2025-26: 19-13 (11-7 Sun Belt)
Key players: DJ Hall, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, 15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds per game; Kaden Gumbs, 6-foot-2 senior guard, 8.7 points, 3.0 assists per game; Quel’Ron House, 5-foot-11 junior guard, 15.2 points per game (Southern Illinois); KJ Younger, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, 15.1 points per game (UNC Greensboro)
A big question in the Pac-12 will be how well the former Sun Belt contender does against the West Coast programs. The good news for Texas State is the return of Hall, who led the team in both points and rebounds last season. He will be a conference Player of the Year contender. The Bobcats also added several mid-major transfers who put up more than 14 points per game last year, so look for guys like Younger and House to have an immediate impact.
8. Washington State Cougars
2025-26: 12-20 (7-11 WCC)
Sebastian Akins, 6-foot-2 junior guard, 5.3 points per game (Wake Forest); Fraser Roxburgh, 6-foot-7 junior guard, 11 points, 5.8 rebounds per game (Manhattan); Tyler Kropp, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, 3.1 points, 2.1 rebounds per game (Northwestern); Ronnie Harrison, 6-foot-6 senior forward, 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds per game (East Texas A&M)
It’s a complete rebuild effort for the Cougars as they move back into the Pac-12. It’s a roster filled with unproven talent, all with opportunities for more minutes, with the hope that a breakout performer or two stands out. Harrison, who led Washington State in an exhibition win over Washington, looks to be the early focal point of the offense.
9. Fresno State Bulldogs
2025-26: 13-19 (7-13 Mountain West)
Key players: DJ Stickman, 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, 3.5 points per game; Ross Candelino, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds per game (Lipscomb); KJ Perry, 6-foot-3 junior guard, four-star JUCO transfer prospect; Dragos Lungu, 6-foot-6 senior guard, 13.8 points per game (6 games at UT-Martin)
Speaking of rebuilding efforts, Fresno State joins the Pac-12 after going 19-57 in the last four years of Mountain West play as one of the worst teams in the conference. It’s a roster with little proven production anywhere, hoping that top-tier JUCO guard Perry can have a big impact out of the gate. If not, it’s hard to envision the Bulldogs rising above the bottom of the Pac-12.
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