Pac 12 Football Notebook: Week Thirteen

Amidst a time of growth and optimism in the future Pac-12 Conference, this weekly series explores compelling stories & quotes from each Pac-12 member school.

Boise State

In mid-November 2023, Boise State head coach Andy Avalos - a proud alum and longtime assistant coach before taking the reins in Boise - was fired after a .500 record through 10 games. Up stepped his defensive coordinator, Spencer Danielson. 

Now, Danielson’s Broncos are 6-4, stuck in a logjam for second place in the Mountain West, hoping for help to reach the conference championship game. Patience is a precious commodity on the smurf turf: if Boise State slips up, Danielson might receive a pink slip.

Boise State and Colorado State square off Saturday at 4 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1.

Colorado State

There’s no sense in sugar coating Colorado State’s dismal season: the Rams are a woeful 2-8 overall, with just 1 win in Mountain West action. However, their sole victory was seismic: a 49-21 thunderclap of Fresno State last month that caused the five-way-tie for second place in the conference standings. 

The Rams have played spoiler once already this season. Can they do it again? A win over Boise State would knock the Broncos out of the conference title race, potentially trigger regime change in Boise, and give the beleaguered Rams a flicker of hope heading into their Pac-12 future.

Colorado State and Boise State square off Saturday at 4 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1.

Fresno State

That five-way-tie will be a recurring theme for many schools in this piece, including Fresno State. Not only do the Bulldogs need to win Saturday, but they need help. The first order of business is a Senior Night victory over Utah State. To accomplish that mission, the Bulldogs’ ground game - led by Rayshon Luke (96 carries, 587 yards) and Bryson Donelson (116 carries, 518 yards) - will need to shine 

Fresno State welcomes Utah State Saturday night at 7:30 PM (PST) on CBS Sports Network.

Oregon State

It’s a bye week for the Beavers, who get an extra week to prepare for their Pac-2 [spelling intentional] companion Washington State. The extra week also presents Oregon State’s coaching staff with a dilemma: who do you start at quarterback?

Maalik Murphy entered the season as the unquestioned QB1, but lost the job due to accuracy issues. Gabarri Johnson relieved Murphy, but suffered an injury in the second quarter of last week’s loss to Tulsa. Still scoreless in the fourth quarter, Oregon State called up true freshman third-stringer Tristan Ti’a. 

Ti’a, a four-star prospect from the East Bay, was the highest ranked recruit in Trent Bray’s last signing class. No one knows if Ti’a will stay in Corvallis after this season - in the modern era of NIL and open transfers, anything could happen - but a start in the season finale surely wouldn’t hurt Oregon State’s chances of keeping their quarterback of the future in the Valley Football Center next season.

San Diego State

The Aztecs are on top of the mountain. Thanks to a ten point win last Saturday over Boise State, San Diego State sits alone atop the Mountain West Conference standings at 5-1, 8-2 overall. If they close out the regular season with a pair of victories, they will host the conference championship game in December.

To get there, they’ll first need to go through San Jose State. The Spartans have been erratic this season, scoring 45 against Hawaii and 35 against New Mexico, but also slumping to a mere 10 points in a blowout loss to Nevada last week. 

San Diego State battles San Jose State at 7:30 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1.

Texas State

The good news for Texas State fans is that they finally got in the Sun Belt win column, with a joyous 41-14 upset of west division leaders Southern Miss last Saturday. The bad news for Texas State fans is they still have two more games until they can focus on their Pac-12 future.

The Bobcats, 4-6 overall and a lowly 1-5 in the Sun Belt, battle bottom-feeders UL Monroe (3-7 overall, 1-5 Sun Belt) at 2 PM (PST) Saturday on ESPN+.

Utah State

With three conference losses, Utah State are a distant longshot in the Mountain West title race. However, there’s something else the Aggies can still play for: a bowl game. Win either of the next two week’s difficult matchups - Fresno State on Saturday and Boise State the following Saturday - and Bronco Mendenhall’s side would reach six wins and a postseason game. 

Utah State and Fresno State skirmish Saturday night at 7:30 PM (PST) on CBS Sports Network.

Washington State

The Cougars find themselves in a similar position to Utah State. A conference championship is out of the question. The college football playoff is an elusive fantasy. A bowl game is still within reach, however. To get there, Wazzu needs to win one of their final two contests. They’ll get their first swing Saturday against one of the best group of five schools in America this season: James Madison (9-1 overall, 7-0 Sun Belt).

Washington State challenges James Madison Saturday morning at 10 AM (PST) on ESPN+.