Boise State football learns its Pac-12 schedule, but there’s a late-season twist

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Boise State football’s full Pac-12 schedule for the 2026 season was unveiled this week, and the format is somewhat different from what fans were accustomed to in the Mountain West.

Five of the eight teams in the reformed Pac-12 are arriving from the Mountain West: Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Utah State. They’ll be joining Pac-12 holdovers Washington State and Oregon State — Boise State beat both teams in 2024 — and Texas State, which is joining from the Sun Belt Conference.

Boise State will play all three teams that aren’t coming from the Mountain West, providing some fresh flavor to the Broncos’ schedule. However, the largest change in scheduling with the new Pac-12 is that the league will play just a seven-game conference slate.

An eighth flex game against a Pac-12 foe will take place in week 13 of the season; it will count as a non-conference game, and the matchup won’t be decided until six days before the scheduled game date.

Boise State is slated as a road team for the flex week and will play one of Utah State, Fresno State, Colorado State or Washington State. Similar to the Mountain West, the top team in conference play will host the Pac-12 championship game.

Here’s what Boise State’s schedule will look like in 2026, and what the end-of-season flex game could entail.

Boise State football’s 2026 schedule

Boise State will start its season with four straight non-conference games, beginning with a trip to 2025 College Football Playoff semifinalist Oregon on Sept. 5.

Conference play will begin on Oct. 3 with a home game against Utah State and conclude on Nov. 21 with a home game against San Diego State. The conference finale will be followed by a road flex game on Nov. 28, with the conference championship game taking place on Friday, Dec. 4.

The conference will determine kickoff times over the summer, and although all 12 of Boise State’s regular-season games are currently scheduled for Saturday, those dates are subject to change.

-Sept. 5 at Oregon — Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon

-Sept. 12 vs. Memphis — Albertsons Stadium, Boise

-Sept. 19 vs. South Dakota

-Sept. 26 at Western Michigan — Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan

-Oct. 3 vs. Utah State

-Oct. 10 at Fresno State — Valley Children’s Stadium, Fresno, California

-Oct. 17 — BYE WEEK

-Oct. 24 at Washington State — Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington

-Oct. 31 vs. Texas State

-Nov. 7 at Colorado State — Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, Colorado

Nov. 14 vs. Oregon State

Nov. 21 vs. San Diego State

-Nov. 28 at Flex Game

-Dec. 4 — Pac-12 Championship Game

What is the flex week?

Because there are only eight football programs in the Pac-12 in 2026, each team can play only seven conference games without any repeats. Rather than scheduling a home-and-home series for all eight teams ahead of the season, the Pac-12 has opted to add a flex game in week 13 that will function as a non-conference game.

Adding the late-season flex game will allow the Pac-12 to evaluate the standings at the end of the regular season and then schedule in-conference games that the conference believes will be most beneficial to its teams in qualifying for either the CFP or bowl games.

“Today’s schedule release is a major milestone on our path to launch,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in a news release. “And the creativity behind our 2026 format reflects the strategic vision for what this conference will become.”

There are some limitations to who Boise State will play in the flex week. The Pac-12 has committed to providing each team with at least six home games in 2026, including four home conference games. Boise State has been designated as a road team for its flex game, meaning the Broncos will play one of Utah State, Washington State, Fresno State or Colorado State on the road on Nov. 28.

The conference also aims not to have any team play at the same location twice on the road in the regular season — the only team of the four mentioned above that the Broncos don’t already play on the road is Utah State.

However, further considerations will be taken into account before scheduling the flex weekend. If the conference deems a second road game for Boise State at Washington State, Fresno State or Colorado State would best position either team for postseason success, the Broncos could play a team twice on the road within the regular season.