Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are heading into a new era this college basketball season, joining the reborn Pac-12 after a nearly 50-year run in the West Coast Conference.
Gonzaga is joined by the two left-behind Pac-12 schools, Oregon State and Washington State, as well as Texas State from the Sun Belt and five former Mountain West schools: San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise State, and Fresno State.
While it is expected to be a stronger overall conference than the WCC, it doesn’t change Gonzaga’s placement in the preseason rankings – with the Zags securing all 17 first-place votes in the first Pac-12 media poll of the new-look conference.
Gonzaga remains the team to beat in the Pac-12
Utah State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Oregon State round out the top five, while Boise State, Texas State, Washington State, and Fresno State bring up the rear.
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— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) October 29, 2026
Gonzaga and Utah State both received votes in the preseason AP Poll, with Gonzaga coming in at No. 15 overall while Utah State had two votes total – suggesting a wide gap between the top two teams in this league…