Welcome back, sports fans, to episode 668 of the GCR as we continue our 2026 preseason strength of schedule (PS-SOS) countdown for all of Division I (D1). We started back on July 9 with the least-challenged conference (#25 Pioneer League), worked our way through the 14 FCS conferences, and moved to the FBS. So far, in that sub-division, we talked about the Mountain West Conference (11th with a mean PS-SOS of 6.952), the MAC (10th at 7.009), Conference USA (9th at 7.276), the Sun Belt (8th at 7.310). the American (7th at 7.676), and the FBS Independents, Notre Dame and UCONN (6th at 7.709). Today we finish up the Group of 6 with the number five spot in the countdown.
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We at the GCR firmly hold that preseason polls of any kind are speculative, and, in the case of a preseason Top 25, negatively impactful to the sport. For example, a team ranked in the Top 5 preseason will have to lose at least two games to fall out of the Top 25. There’s a certain forgiveness associated with the writers or coaches who create the polls. By the same token, a team that is not ranked, especially if they received no votes at all, likely won’t be in the Top 25 until they are 4-0 or 5-0. There’s a certain incredulity associated by the same voters. No one likes being proven wrong, but ranks should be based on outcomes not “belief.” Our PS-SOS is also speculation based on some data (we use 2025 outcomes overlaid on 2026 schedules), which is far from perfect, certainly not “correct”, but we are hopeful, entertaining. The 2026 GCR itself is coded and ready to go: however, the only data input so far is the schedule. Both the Performance and Strength of Schedule Metrics, which make up the Score upon which teams are ranked, are 0.000, meaning that every team from Indiana (undefeated FBS champion last season) to Chicago St (never played football before) are tied for first (or last, if you look at it that way). Once games are played, structure begins to take place resulting in the 2026 GCR Top 266.
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But today is about the 5th most-challenged conference in our countdown, the 8-team newly formed Pac 12 which has a mean PS-SOS of 7.822 and a mean rank of 75.0 out of 266. Three seasons ago, there was a mass exodus from the Pac 12 with teams moving to the Big Ten, Big 12, and even the ACC, leaving just Oregon St and Washington St. The last two seasons, they survived under the rule that gave them a couple of years to meet the minimum 8-team requirement to keep the conference alive. The did that by poaching five teams from the Mountain West (Boise St, Colorado St, Fresno St, San Diego St, and Utah St) along with Texas St from the Sun Belt. Now the Pac 12 is back in full swing. The biggest difference from before is, after losing teams like Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Arizona St, etc.) they are no longer a Power 5 (hence the new moniker of Core 4) conference. They will, however, play the most difficult Group of 6 schedule this season which should help the winner make the case for playoff inclusion. One anomaly that we’ve never seen before in their scheduling is after playing a round robin (7 games), each team will play a bonus conference game in the final regular season spot. The conference speculated which matchups those would be, which are included in the PS-SOS work, but the opponents can change. A flexible schedule prior to the championship game is a brilliant strategic move because they can set up a potential playoff team with a more difficult opponent at the end of the season to impress the committee. It’s a new conference with new players in a new world – bring on the excitement! In the table below, (4) indicates a challenge against a Core 4 (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, or Notre Dame) team, (G) indicates a non-conference Group of 6 (American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, or UCONN) foe, (F) indicates a bout against an FCS opponent. There are no neutral site games scheduled. With no further ado, we are proud to present the new Pac 12 for 2026.
| Team Conf Rank | Home Field | 2025 Record (Rank) | 2026 PS SOS (Rank) | Home Games | Away Games | Hardest | Easiest |
| Oregon St Beavers (1) | Corvallis, OR | 2-10 (146) | 8.23 (66) | Texas Tech (4), Montana (F), San Diego St, Washington St, Texas St, Utah St | Houston (4), UTEP (G), Colorado St, Fresno St, Boise St, Washington St | at Houston (11.51) | Montana (5.28) |
| Utah St Aggies (2) | Logan, UT | 6-7 (89) | 8.19 (68) | Idaho St (F), Troy (G), Washington St, Colorado St, Fresno St, Boise St | Washington (4), Utah (4), Boise St, Texas St, San Diego St, Oregon St | at Utah (13.23) | Idaho St (3.60) |
| Boise St Broncos (3) | Boise, ID | 9-5 (60) | 7.99 (73) | Memphis (G), South Dakota (F), Utah St, Texas St, Oregon St, San Diego St | Oregon (4), W Michigan (G), Fresno St, Washington St, Colorado St, Utah St | at Oregon (14.04) | South Dakota (3.96) |
| Colorado St Rams (4) | Fort Collins, CO | 2-10 (142) | 7.87 (77) | Wyoming (G), S Utah (F), BYU (4), Oregon St, San Diego St, Boise St, Texas St | UTSA (G), Texas St, Utah St, Washington St, Fresno St | BYU (11.42) | S Utah (4.33) |
| Washington St Cougars (5) | Pullman, WA | 7-6 (73) | 7.76 (83) | Duquesne (F), Arizona (4), Fresno St, Boise St, Colorado St, Oregon St | Washington (4), Kansas St (4), Utah St, Oregon St, San Diego St, Texas St | at Washington (11.65) | Duquesne (3.16) |
| Texas St Bobcats (6) | San Marcos, TX | 7-6 (80) | 7.61 (89) | UTSA (G), North Texas (G), Incarnate Word (F), Colorado St, Utah St, Fresno St, Washington St | Texas (4), San Diego St, Boise St, Oregon St, Colorado St | at Texas (12.11) | Incarnate Word (3.50) |
| Fresno St Bulldogs (7) | Fresno, CA | 9-4 (69) | 7.55 (90) | Sacramento St (G), Rice (G), Boise St, Oregon St, Colorado St, San Diego St | Southern Cal (4), San Jose St (G), Washington St, San Diego St, Utah St, Texas St | at Southern Cal (12.07) | Sacramento St (4.33) |
| San Diego St Aztecs (8) | San Diego, CA | 9-4 (45) | 7.36 (101) | Portland St (F), James Madison (G), Texas St, Fresno St, Washington St, Utah St | UCLA (4), Toledo (G), Oregon St, Colorado St, Boise St, Fresno St | at Toledo (9.72) | Portland St (0.94) |
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That’s it for today’s episode. Tune in Saturday for the 4th overall most-challenged conference which is also the least-challenged Core 4 group. Thank you for reading and sharing with others. Until next time, JoJo and G
