The new PAC-12 is looking strong in men’s basketball, setting the conference up for what should be a renewed “Power 6” status in 2026 when the conference assembles.
Of the seven future schools, six are ranked in the top-100 on the NET rankings.
Gonzaga comes in the lead, at No. 11. They hold a 16-6 record, and while not as dominant as they have been in years past, the Bulldogs are still a lock for the WCC title game and the NCAA tournament, as they will continue to be year in and year out. Mark Few always has his squad ready for the postseason, and with the longest active streak of Sweet 16 appearances, it is safe to say the Bulldogs are not going anywhere.
Utah State is ranked No. 32. They replaced former head coach Danny Sprinkle with an even better one in Jerrod Calhoun. The Aggies have been dominating the Mountain West, ranked No. 31 in the NET, and also appear to be headed back to their second straight March Madness appearance, with an 18-2 record.
San Diego State, two years after going to the NCAA tournament finals, is ranked No. 44 and also looks like they will head back to March Madness again. The Aztecs are 13-5, and boast three Quad 1 victories. They will be a strong challenger to Utah State for the Mountain West title.
Boise State also has a strong resume. With a 13-7 record, the Broncos are ranked No. 49 on the NET, and will likely be a bubble team for the tournament. BSU lost to both Utah State and Washington State, but have been consistently winning in conference play. They reached the tournament last year, and hope to do so again in 2025.
The emergence of Oregon State this year has been fun to watch as well. The Beavers have climbed up to No. 61 in the NET rankings, and are starting to feel like a potential bubble team as well. With big home wins over Gonzaga and Santa Clara, OSU has positioned itself well both this year and for the future.
Colorado State has also played well this year, ranked No. 78. The Rams are 14-7, and although a lot of their wins have come against lesser opponents (3-6 vs Quad 1&2, 8-1 vs Quad 3&4) it is still a good sign. While they may not return to March Madness, they should qualify for the NIT.
WSU finds themselves ranked No. 93, still in the top 100 despite losing five of their last sieven games. At 15-8, the Cougs still have plenty of marquee wins, including big ones over San Francisco, Nevada, BSU and Bradley.
That leaves Fresno State, ranked at No. 267. However, the Pac-12 is not fully completed, and many of the schools rumored to be interested in joining the Pac-12 are also ranked highly. Among them include Saint Mary’s (No. 21), UCONN (No. 38), Memphis (No. 40), North Texas (No. 46), Nevada (No. 79), Grand Canyon (No. 91), UNLV (No. 104), Tulane (No. 156), Texas State (No. 183), Southern Florida (No. 190) and UTSA (No. 220).
Even without any of the above schools joining the Pac-12, it’s already positioned to be a strong conference that will likely be at least five teams deep every year. If they can bring across a few more contenders, notably Memphis or Saint Mary’s, the conference would grow even stronger, solidifying the Pac-12’s Power 6 status in men’s basketball.
