Rebuilt Pac-12 Could Have Seat At Playoff Table With Boise State

BusinessSportsMoneyRebuilt Pac-12 Could Have Seat At Playoff Table With Boise StateByTom Layberger,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about college football and sports in the Tampa Bay region.Follow AuthorJun 02, 2026, 11:00pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.BOISE, Idaho - A Boise State helmet during a college football game between the Boise State Broncos and the San Diego State Aztecs on September 30, 2022, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, ID. (Photo by Tyler Ingham/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe path to the CFP among non-power conference teams in 2026 will be a more congested one with a revamped Pac-12 up and running. Hence, the precious lone automatic bid will come from a group of six instead of five. In addition, playoff modifications for the coming season make for a repeat of 2025, when two non-powers (No. 20 Tulane and No. 23 James Madison) made the 12-team field, much more difficult. One of the changes – call it the ACC Rule, if you will -- is that each of the four power conference champs are in regardless of ranking. Also, Notre Dame will be included if it is ranked in the top 12, and the top-ranked Group of Six team – not necessarily a conference champ – is guaranteed a spot in the playoff. Had such a format been in place last season, ACC champ Duke and the No. 11 Fighting Irish would have made the cut instead of James Madison and No. 10 Miami. As for the Pac-12, the conference all but entirely dissolved following the 2023 season. Oregon State and Washington State served as inn keepers the past two years while maintaining a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference. Speaking of which, five schools from the MWC and one from the Sun Belt will officially join Oregon State and Washington State on July 1 in a Pac-12 that will be an eight-team league for football. Boise S...