Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Pac-12 is back, baby. Rejoice.
And while this won’t be your older cousin’s “Pac-12 After Dark,” it should bring some serious chaos to your Saturday evenings.
There are eight schools in the new college football conference, with Boise State leading the way as the headliner. The Broncos are +165 favorites to win the Pac-12, putting them ahead of San Diego State (+400), Texas State (+550) and Fresno State (+600).
Washington State, one of the two holdovers from the old Pac-12, has +800 odds, while the other, Oregon State, is 22/1.
Between them is Utah State at 13/1, while Colorado State (30/1) is the only team with longer odds than Oregon State at DraftKings.
Is the Pac-12 going to play out like the Mountain West, with Boise State running the show? Or will it play out like the old days, when we were all taught to expect the unexpected?
Best bet: Washington State to win the Pac-12 (+800, DraftKings)
College football is far from just and fair, but it would be romantic if Washington State (or Oregon State) comes out on top in the Pac-12’s comeback season.
And I think the Cougars have the potential to do it.
For all the change that’s happened on and off the field in Pullman, Wazzu has been remarkably consistent on the field. The school still has some serious pull when it comes to attracting talent, especially from the Northwest, and they’ve been able to do it again under new head coach Kirby Moore.
Because of their place in college football purgatory, Wazzu almost became a stop-gap for players (and coaches) who wanted to prove themselves at the FBS level before moving on to bigger programs. That should change with the Lazarus-act from the Pac-12, but this year’s roster will feature a ton of new faces.
Sometimes that’s a red flag, but Moore, who served as the offensive coordinator for Missouri from 2023-25, attracted some serious talent in the portal, including quarterback Caden Pinnick.
Pinnick still needs to win the job, but even if he doesn’t, whoever is under center for Wazzu should have some serious support.
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The running game figures to be a plus, the offensive line does too, and the receiving corps has a high ceiling with Florida transfer Tank Hawkins and FCS star Jordan Dees joining Tony Freeman.
Moore knows how to get an offense going, too.
The offense will likely need to drive the bus for Wazzu, because the defense features even more turnover after a strong showing in 2025.
In a deeper conference, Washington State’s red flags would be more alarming, but there are question marks with every team in this bunch.
Boise State’s quarterback, Maddux Madsen, fell off the boil last year. Fresno and SDSU may not score. And Texas State could have the opposite problem.
The point is that there is a path for Washington State to spring a surprise here. And they will get the added benefit of playing Boise State and Fresno at home.
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And here’s a little secret: Wazzu is likely going to start the season 1-3. They open their campaign against Washington, Kansas State, Duquesne, and Arizona. That’s a rough stretch, and could cause this number to dip even further before conference play begins.
Even at the current price, I’m happy to bet on the upside of this coaching hire and the talent that he brought with him to Pullman.
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
